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PRESENTS 61 pages of shop-tested shortcuts 149 best Tricks of the

Trade • Upgrade your PLUS • 4 Secrets to Silky Smooth Finishes • 10 Best Tricks for Tight Joints from the editor Thank You for subscribing to Popular Enlightenment Now Magazine! We hope you enjoy What our column on workshop hints this free 61-page PDF has in common with mousetraps and Zen. collection of our favorite shop tricks, solutions and more. he best workshop hints and tricks that make hand and routers far more are – in my opinion – a lot like accurate. You’ll find a lot of his tips and T Zen Buddhist koans. suggestions inside this issue. A koan is a seemingly impenetrable Some people, Blandford among them, riddle told by a Zen master to the student. seem to have a healthy side business of If the student figures out the riddle, they submitting tricks to woodworking mag- can experience sudden enlightenment, azines that offer cash and prizes. also known as Nirvana. And if you’ve been reading - In addition to the printed issue you’ll Some of the most famous koans are: working magazines for a few years, then be receiving 7 times per year (along “What is the sound of one hand clap- you’ve probably also noticed that the with this free collection of 149 of some ping?” Or: “What did your face look prizes offered for winning tricks seem of the best “Tricks of the Trade” we like before you were born?” to get bigger and better every year. ever published), Popular Woodworking Here at Popular Wood- Heck, when we first started pub- Magazine offers a wide variety of digital working Magazine, we strive lishing tricks in Popular Wood- downloads, online shop classes, DVD for every trick to be a moment working Magazine (the col- and CD instructional videos, back of sudden enlightenment for our umn was called “Information issues of our magazines, and books in readers. Sometimes we succeed (see Exchange” back then) there our online bookstore at: “Our Best Tricks of the Trade.” And were no prizes. People submitted WoodworkersBookShop.com sometimes we fall a bit short (see “The tricks just to see their name in print, Worst Tricks of the Trade” – thankfully I suppose. a very brief story). Now the prizes verge on the aston- I can remember the first time our ishing. The best trick in one recent issue “Tricks of the Trade” column came to of our magazine would win you a $250 my rescue. Years ago my gift certificate to Lee Valley Tools. Even We also offer “Weekly Wood News” – was out of whack by more than a degree, I considered submitted a tricks under a an e-newsletter that goes out every and I was just about to chuck the sucker false name to try to win that. Wednesday, with sneak peeks at future into the behind my shop (though If you’re wondering why the prizes get issues, free videos, free downloads and its boomerang-like shape made me pause bigger every year, it’s because competition more. Sign up today at: to ponder the wisdom behind that act). is fierce for good tricks. Readers love them. popularwoodworking.com/ That very week I was editing our In every survey we’ve done of our readers, newsletters “Tricks of the Trade” column and the they hail “Tricks of the Trade” as the most solution was right there, staring me in popular part of our magazine. the face. That night I corrected my square Woodworkers, it appears, crave that with a set and a , and it has small nugget of enlightenment – even remained true ever since. if it does involve a couple mousetraps, a And that wasn’t the only trick that’s household cleaning brush and some sand- come in handy. I cannot tell you how paper. The solution to that koan can be much of a debt we all owe Percy Bland- found here. PW And, finally, visit us online for articles, ford, a perennial British trickster fea- reviews, techniques for hand and tured in the pages of our magazine (and power tools, links to our editor blogs others). and much more: No one can match his insight into Christopher Schwarz popularwoodworking.com making the little jigs and accessories Editor best Tricks of the Trade

C O N t e N T S

10 Tricks for Tight Joints No matter how good a woodworker you are, your joints can stand some tightening. Here are our staff’s 10 favorite ways to eliminate gaps and add strength to your joinery.

The Secret to Great Table Legs Making legs that look good from all four sides is a simple matter of examining the end grain and making a couple extra cuts. We show you how.

The 16 Dumbest Mistakes Good woodworking is often a battle against our own mis- steps. Here are 16 of the most common problems, and how to fix them now and prevent them in the future.

Our Best Tricks of the Trade After reading hundreds of tricks we chose our 78 favorites from our last 25 years.

Just Don’t Tell the Missus Woodworkers often swipe the solutions to their workshop problems from the kitchen, bedroom or bathroom of their spouse. Here is our list of the best (and oddest) of that lot. U pgrade Your Workbench Every workbenchMag can become more Title versatile by following these 10 simple ON THE COVandER quick, but highly effective tricks. Cover blurb A New Angle on Compound Miters Photo by Al PMakingarrish this tricky joint on your table (or chop saw)C Odoesn’tN havet eto N T S be a mathematical nightmare. Our simple chart makes XX manyFeature common Title compound miters easyFeature to figure. description text by Nick Engler by Author Name

Secrets to a Silky Smooth Finish To get a professional-quality finish, you need to learn the basic tech- niques for rubbing it out. We show you how to do it with a minimum of fuss, mess and extra materials.

Strategies for Locating XX Our staff’s favorite tricks for finding good wood in unlikely places. Plus a glossary of the terms you need to know for your hunt.

The Worst Tricks of the Trade We dig through our archives and pick the brains of readers to find the lamest tricks – the ones that never should have seen the light of day.

XX

 Popular Woodworking Month 2004 10 Tricks for Tight Joints

Some of our favorite ways to get seamless, rock-solid joinery.

ou’ve cut all the components for your next Because wood is – on a cellular level – similar by the Popular project and are putting everything together to a bunch of soda straws glued together, you can Ywhen you first notice it – a gap. A dark void compress it a little bit. Usually, compression is a Woodworking where there should be none. bad thing, such as when you drop a hammer on Don’t panic – it happens to us all. For whatever your work and it dents. But a bit of compression is Magazine reason, there are instances when your joints just good when dovetailing. don’t fit perfectly and you have to decide what to do: Here’s how it works: Cut the first half of your editors Do you scrap all the time, energy, money and hard joint as you usually would – I usually cut the tails work you’ve put into the project and start over, or first. Then use that first half to in the second do you just let there be a little gap and move on? half of the joint – in this case, the pins. Well, we have a third option. We put our heads Next, when you saw your pin lines, don’t saw together and came up with a list of the best tricks right up against the knife line you marked, as most to help you tighten your joints. These tips will help books tell you. Instead, saw slightly wide. How eliminate unsightly, embarrassing gaps and point wide? The whisker of a gnat would be a good place your joints in the right direction. to start. Here’s how I do it: After I knife in my joint lines, I run a pencil over each knife line and then Compression Makes Dovetails Tight erase the excess marks. Then I start my saw cut to Hand-cut dovetails are some of the most challeng- leave the entire knife line. ing joints to fit perfectly. Many woodworkers will Like all things pertaining to dovetails, this takes spend hundreds of dollars on jigs or wood- practice. Cut sample joints to get a feel for it and use working classes to get an airtight fit. a magnifying glass at first to your progress. If you decide to hand-cut your dovetails, there Once you cut your pins, use a knife to ease the are a few ways to make sure you get it right. inside edges of your tails, which will be inside the joint. When you join your two pieces, the too- tight pins will slightly compress the tails and the joint will be seamless. If you try to compress things too much, one of your boards will split as the two boards are knocked together. This compression works especially well with half-blind drawer joints where you are joining a secondary soft wood for the sides (such as pop- Wood compresses, lar) with a drawer front (such as ), and you can use that because the soft wood compresses easily. But be to make your dovetails Pin cut wide Waste careful: This trick doesn’t work when you are try- tighter. Cutting your Pin pins just slightly wide ing to join two pieces of dense exotic wood, which will force them to doesn’t compress much at all. compress the tails. — Christopher Schwarz Photo by Al Parrish Fake Half-blinds for Dovetail Joints Usually with most small-scale drawers you have Half-blind dovetails are trickier to cut than 1⁄2"-thick sides and a 3⁄4"-thick front. To do what through-dovetails, but they don’t have to be. I we’re suggesting, make your drawer front with 1⁄2"- picked up this trick from dovetailing maestro Rob thick stock, too. Then join the sides to the front Cosman, who has two excellent videos on dove- using through-dovetails. tails that are available from Lie-Nielsen Toolworks Then, using your band saw, resaw a piece of (800-327-2520 or lie-nielsen.com). 1⁄4"-thick veneer from a piece of really nice figured Essentially, you first build a drawer with the wood. Make it a little larger than the finished size easier through-dovetails and then glue a 1⁄4"-thick of your drawer front. Then glue that veneer to the piece of veneer over the drawer front, making them drawer front, let the glue dry and trim it flush. look like half-blind dovetails. This makes excellent half-blind dovetails and allows you to stretch your supply of nicely figured woods for your drawer fronts. — CS

Deeper Mortises Close Gaps It’s easy to get gaps when using a traditional mor- tise-and-tenon joint. Luckily, it’s also straightfor- ward to get rid of them. If you make your mortises exactly as deep as your tenons are long, you’re asking for trouble. By doing this, you haven’t created a place for any excess glue to go, so it will be forced out of the joint. And if there is even a little bit of gunk at the bottom of your mortise, the joint won’t close tightly no mat- ter what you do to it with your . To fix this, make your mortises1 ⁄16" deeper than Through-dovetails are easier to cut than half-blinds. To make life easier (and to stretch your your tenons are long. This trick will save you time stock of valuable wood) cut through-dovetails when joining your sides and drawer fronts. because you don’t have to clean up the bottoms of Then add 1⁄4"-thick veneer to the drawer front. your mortises as much, and it will prevent glue from squeezing out if you use too much in the joint. — CS

Paring Your Tenon Shoulders Before you assemble your joints, you should always them up without glue. That way, you can

Veneered front Tenon

Mortise is 1⁄16" deeper Use your workbench as than tenon is long part of your clamping setup when applying the Bottom of mortise veneer to the drawer. This setup helps spread pres- sure evenly across this Making your mortise a little deeper prevents large surface. gaps at the shoulders. Pare here der removes just a couple thousandths of an inch in a pass. This allows you to sneak up on a bril- liant fit with only five or six swipes of the plane. It takes about 10 seconds per joint. ...but not here Be sure to remove the same amount of material from each face cheek of the tenon by taking the same number of passes on each side of the tenon. Shoulder planes are available new from Lie- Pare the shoulder all around the tenon to help eliminate Nielsen, Clifton, Veritas and some other custom gaps in this joint. Be sure not to cut the edge of the plane-makers, such as Shepherd Tool. You also can shoulder, or you’ll make your gap worse instead of better. find them at flea markets or on eBay. — CS disassemble everything and fine-tune your joints Add to Joints if you find ugly gaps at this . But what if you Dados are deceivingly simple: You just cut a trench can’t track down the problem? We’ve found that in your work that is exactly the same width as the tuning up the shoulder of the joint will help you thickness of its mating piece. fix a variety of problems and make sure you don’t The problem is getting the dado sized exactly hurt the strength of the joint. right so you don’t have an ugly gap at the front of First, clamp the tenon in your bench’s with your joint or along the trench where the boards the tenon pointing straight up. With a sharp , meet. Of course, to precisely size your dados you can pare away the inside of the shoulder without cutting use shims in your dado stack, buy undersized router the outside of the shoulder that shows, as shown above. Pare away about 1⁄32" all the way around and then test the fit again. To get your tenons This should help you solve problems where your A couple of swipes on each fitting perfectly, shoulders are angled a bit because of miscutting. cheek will tweak your tenons learn to use a shoul- It also helps out when the tenon’s mating surface der plane. This handy tool will fit your ten- isn’t perfectly square – it’s quite common to sand ons in an extraor- or plane that area so it’s bellied a bit. dinarily controlled — CS manner.

Tighten Mortise-and-tenon Joints with a A common problem with a mortise-and-tenon joint is that it’s easy to make the joint too tight (so it won’t go together) or too loose (where it will fall apart under a little stress). Even expertly machined joints have this prob- Dados are a pain to lem because it’s tough to hold all your parts with get sized just right. exactly the same pressure as you cut them on your So don’t bother siz- or router table. A 1⁄128" difference can ing the dado to make or break this finicky joint. the material. Cut the dado under- Your tenons should slide into your mortises sized and then cut a with hand pressure only. The fit should be firm but matching on not forced. To get that every single time, I make its mate. all my tenons so they are slightly oversized. Usu- ally I shoot for a tenon that fits a bit too tightly but would go together with a mallet. Then I get ready for a dry assembly and use my shoulder plane to tune up each joint. A good shoul- bits or cut your joint in a couple of passes. always a few thousandths of an inch less than the Another option is to cut a rabbet on the mat- width you require. To cut a slightly undersized 3⁄4"- ing piece. Using a rabbet requires an extra machin- wide dado, I merely install all the chippers for a ery setup, but it’s worth the trouble. Cut your dado 3⁄4" dado. This has always worked, regardless of the so its width is 1⁄8" undersized. For example, if you brand of dado stack (Forrest, Freud and others). were planning on making a 3⁄4"-wide dado, make Then I just plane down the mating piece on a 5⁄8"-wide dado instead. both sides to sneak up on a perfect fit. Make sure Then cut an 1⁄8"-deep rabbet on your mating you set your plane to make the finest shaving pos- piece that allows the two pieces to nest together. sible, and this should work for you. You can easily tweak the size of the rabbet to get — CS the joint fitting just right. — Steve Shanesy Stop Bridging Your When Using Butt Joints Use a Hand Plane for Dados There definitely are ways to improve your butt joints Another way to get perfect dados is with the help if you find gaps appearing. Screws and biscuits – of a . If you can sharpen and set used correctly – can make the joint tighter and up a plane, this approach is for you. more durable if you know how to use them. First, cut your dado so it is slightly undersized. While dovetails and mortise-and-tenon joints I’ve found that the dado made by dado stacks is are excellent options, we know that a lot of wood- workers use screws to simply pull butt joints tight. There’s nothing wrong with that, but using the A sharp and tuned smoothing correct screws and techniques will ensure that plane can reduce your thickness in small increments, allowing your joint actually is tight. you to sneak up on a seamless Lots of woodworkers are using sheet-metal dado joint. screws and drywall screws to assemble projects. These will work, but there’s a reason woodworking screws exist. The thread-free part of a wood shank (under the screw head) allows the threads to bite into the second wood piece, while the first piece (the one being attached) is able to pull tight against it. If there are threads over the entire length of the screw shank, the threads will bite into the wood in the attaching piece and will stop the first piece from seating tight when the screw head reaches the wood surface. This is something called “bridg- Biscuits keep the shelf aligned ing,” and you’ll never get a tight joint. vertically and the pocket-hole Using a standard wood screw with a partially- screws help clamp the middle threaded shank will solve a bridging problem, or of the panel. Add some glue, you can make sure the clearance hole in the attach- cinch the screws down tight and ing piece is large enough to keep the threads from you’re done – it’s that easy. And here’s the best part: No clamps catching in the wood. Either way, your joint will are required. end up tight and solid. — David Thiel

Improve Butt Joints with Pocket-hole Screws, Biscuits We like pocket-hole screws to build utility cabi- nets and frames because no other joint is as fast or requires as little clamping. But there is one downside with pocket-hole Clearance hole

Pilot hole When taping your miters, lay the parts face up so the mitered edges are touching. Then tape the joint with clear packing tape. screws when you are joining a shelf, top or bottom The trick to a tight is to a side. It can be quite difficult to hold the shelf a proper clearance hole in perfect position as you drive the screws home. before you drive in a sheet- Next fold the assembly and use tape to hold it square metal screw. The clearance If the piece shifts even the slightest bit, you’ll have until the glue sets. hole prevents the threads from a shelf that is cockeyed with an ugly, obvious gap catching in the top piece. on one side – not a good thing. To get around this, we combine biscuits and – and it is a signature of contemporary pocket-hole screws to get the best of both worlds. design. But accomplishing this joint without an The extra time needed to add the biscuits is very ugly gap somewhere along that miter is another minimal. First, cut your biscuit slots in your shelf story. Many people spend lots of money on corner and side piece. Then cut the pocket holes in the clamps and clamping jigs. Or they construct con- underside of the shelf. voluted cauls. My solution is tape. Yes, tape. Put glue and biscuits in the biscuit slots and put I was shown this technique of cutting straight the shelf in place. Then you can drive the pocket- and clean joints and taping them together when I hole screws home. Why do we like this method so worked in a large production cabinet shop where much? Well, there are three reasons: time was money. I’ve used this technique on mitered • The biscuits hold the shelf in place as you joints that were 10' long and it worked flawlessly. It drive the screws so it cannot shift and your case also works great for gluing compound miters. will be perfectly square. To cut a clean miter using your table saw, set the • The pocket-hole screws hold the shelf and side blade to 45° and clamp an accessory to your pieces together as the glue dries. This is especially saw’s rip fence. The accessory fence should be made helpful with the middle part of the shelf, which using a softer wood, such as poplar or . A harder is difficult to clamp if you use only biscuits. The wood will ruin the sharp tip of your miter. Raise the pocket-hole screws pull the pieces together across blade while it is spinning until it kisses the acces- the shelf without a single clamp. sory fence. Now you can cut your miters. • If you are a cheapskate, you can remove the The real trick to dead-on miters is how you glue screws once the glue is dry and reuse them. them. As shown in the photos above, tape the out- — CS side of the joint together, spread glue on the joint and then fold the parts to assemble things. Band The Best Way to Clamp Miters in Casework clamps or more tape will hold the parts tightly Joining your cabinet’s sides and face frame with together as they dry. pwM a miter is a classy way to dress up an ordinary box — Jim Stack T h e s e c r e t t o Great Table Legs

aking legs for a table is more compli- face of the leg you look at, the growth rings inter- It’s all in the way they cated than most imagine. When I built sect that face at 45°, so the leg looks the same no look from the end. Mmy first Shaker table I cut the legs from matter where you are standing in the room. a slab of 8/4 cherry. Everything looked great until I If you select the boards for your project’s legs applied the finish. Two of the legs looked good, but carefully before construction, you can purchase the others stuck out like a sore thumb. The front wood with the growth rings at about a 45° angle to and back faces of the legs looked different than the the faces of your board. Sometimes called “bastard sides. I had just learned the difference between - grain,” you’ll usually find this pattern near the long by Christopher sawn and quartersawn figure. edges of wide boards. If you can’t find this pattern in the wood at the lumberyard, you can purchase Schwarz The End Tells the Story stock that is thicker than what you need and saw To understand this important point, take a look at it to create bastard grain. Comments or questions? Contact the photos below, left. The key to understanding Chris at 513-531-2690 ext. 11407 this puzzle is in the end grain of your legs. If you Creating Bastard Grain or [email protected]. look at the photos of the flatsawn leg, the growth The first step is to trim your board so the face grain rings run left-to-right through the leg. On two sides is as straight as possible – angled grain looks odd on of the leg, the tree’s growth rings are parallel to the a leg. Use a yardstick to mark a straight line that is face – known as flatsawn or tangential grain. On parallel to the grain lines and near an edge of your the other two sides of that leg, the growth rings board. Band saw to that line, clean up the cut on the intersect the face of the leg at a 90° angle – known and rip the board as wide as possible. as quartersawn or radial grain. To help visualize the growth-ring pattern on the Flatsawn and quartersawn grain look different. end grain, make a cardboard template that has a We expect the four surfaces to appear the same. hole cut in it that matches the thickness and width 1 After all, they are the same size and are from the of your legs, plus ⁄8" on all four sides. same piece of wood. If they don’t look the same, it’s Place the template on the end grain and rotate distracting, especially on a piece of furniture. it until the growth rings run from corner to corner. The trick to getting around this problem is either Mark this shape on the end, and use a sliding T- Bastard-grain Flatsawn to select your lumber carefully before cutting or to measure this angle and then set your table leg leg to cut it in a special way. In essence, you want the saw’s blade to the same angle. Rip the board to this growth rings to travel at a 45° angle from corner line and square up the stock using your jointer and to corner (or an angle that’s close to that). If you table saw. Finally, use your planer to reduce the leg Grain looks One face the same shows flat- study the photos you’ll see why. No matter which to its finished thickness.PWM from all sawn grain four sides A template helps you visualize the correct growth- ring orientation for the legs. Turn the template until The other the growth rings 3 shows 1 ⁄8" square quartersawn run from corner to cutout grain corner. Mark that Set your table saw’s blade to match the angle marked on on the end grain. your wood. Rip this edge off the leg. T h e 1 6 D U M B e s T Mistakes

How to fix the problem at hand and never make the same mistake again.

by Christopher Schwarz

Comments or questions? Contact Christopher at 513-531-2690 ext. 11407 or [email protected]. Photo by Tim GrondinTim by Photo or the record, I want it known that I had until they match your other measuring tools. If a everything clamped down tight when I steel and a don’t agree, Fturned on the press to mix a gallon of one of them has to go. Before you start a project, dark brown glaze. What happened next is some- calibrate all your measuring tools. Plus, be aware what of a legend in our shop. that when ripping on your table saw, regular-kerf The drill press was set to run too fast, and the blades and thin-kerf blades have a different-sized quill was down too low. Within seconds, the wall kerf. Pick one blade for ripping and set your fence’s of the shop, all the tools within 10 feet and most scale to that blade. of my exterior surfaces looked like we had all been dipped in chocolate at the Snickers’ factory. 2 Remember the Kerf That was six years ago. We moved the shop ■ Problem: When cutting a joint or trimming off six miles up the highway, replaced almost all the some extra waste, you forget to include the saw machinery and we still find little bits of the dried kerf in your measurement so your final workpiece glaze clinging to things just about every week. is off by 1⁄8" or 3⁄32". Ask any woodworker about the dumbest mis- ■ next time: To avoid the problem, just remem- take he or she has made and a look of pain will pass ber what my grandfather always said: Never mea- over his or her face. In our shop you’ll hear stories of sure the waste piece; always measure your keeper entertainment centers not deep enough (the wall piece. This bit of advice keeps you out of trouble behind it had to be punched out to make room for when the saw kerf is involved. the stereo components) or kitchen cabinets where For additional insurance, when marking the the knob on the very last drawer was installed off- face of a board for a cut, carry that mark onto the center, resulting in making a new drawer front. front edge of the board. Put the board in position Some of these mistakes can be fixed after the on the saw and line up the mark with the blade. fact. All of them are avoidable. The following is a list of the 16 dumbest woodworking mistakes com- 3 Ending Up on the Wrong Side of the Line mon to the craft. If a problem can be fixed, we show ■ Problem: You mark your mortise or crosscut, but you how. But most of all, we tell you how to keep you bore or cut on the wrong side of the line. out of trouble in the first place. ■ next time: To avoid the problem, get in the habit of marking your waste area with cross-hatches. It 1 You Measure Carefully, but Everything on Your Project is a Bit Off To prevent errors from creeping ■ Problem: As you proceed though the project, into your projects, be sure to cal- small errors creep into the assemblies – errors you ibrate all your measuring tools 1 cannot explain. Things aren’t lining up by ⁄32" or against one another before you so, even though you’re measuring carefully. begin cutting. ■ next time: Stop where you are and gather all the measuring devices you’ve used on a project. Your , your combination square, your table saw’s fence scale and your steel rules should all measure the same. Find the problem (it’s usually the tape measure or the table saw’s scale) and adjust the tab on the end of the tape measure or the scale on the saw When boring a hole for a There are limits to what you can squeeze out through-mortise, we ended up 1⁄ 1⁄ on the wrong side of the line. of one of these boards (usually about 32" to 16" Time to get the plug cutter. depending on the size and profile of the moulding) before things don’t look right.

5 Off by an Inch – Might as Well be a Yard ■ Problem: You’re measuring a board with your tape Starting your tape measure at 1" measure to cut it to length. You make the mark and can make you more accurate. But the cut, but your board is exactly 1" too short. The it also can cause you to burn an culprit usually is one of two things: You were hold- inch if you’re not careful. Mea- ing the beginning of the tape at the 1" mark for a sure things twice. more accurate measurement. Or you were looking at the wrong number when you made your pencil mark. This second mistake is common when you have the tape measure in your left hand (reading upside down) and the pencil in your right. ■ next time: There are several ways to avoid the problem in the future. First, measure everything twice (we had to say it). Second, use your combina- tion square or (even better) a 24"-long metal hook rule to mark out shorter cuts instead of your tape measure, which is less accurate anyway. takes a few seconds, but it’s faster than fixing this too-common mistake. 6 Gappy Joints ■ quick fix: There’s little you can do to fix a board ■ Problem: You glue up your case or assembly, and that’s too short. To repair a round hole in face grain, there are ugly gaps between the joints. never use a if the area will show. You need ■ next time: There are several causes, but usu- to match the grain and color if you want to hide ally it’s because you didn’t clamp up the project the repair. Purchase a set of plug cutters that cut without glue first. Joints should close with mini- a tapered plug. With a plug cutter you can make mal clamp pressure. If you have to really twist the a bunch of plugs and compare them to the area clamps down hard, you’ve got some ill-fitting joints you need to repair. Some glue and a few taps with to correct first. Always perform a dry-assembly and a mallet will seat the plug firmly. Trim the excess closely inspect your joints. with a flush-cut saw or sharp chisel. ■ quick fix: This error is why they make . Unfortunately, it’s your best bet. 4 Your Mitered Moulding is Too Short ■ Problem: You’re trying to sneak up on a miter by 7 Parts are Not Where They Should Be nibbling at it bit by bit. You cut too far. ■ Problem: You’re gluing up a cabinet, a drawer or ■ next time: To avoid the problem, you can make a any assembly and you get one of the parts placed miter shooting board. This simple hand-tool appli- wrong – it could be upside down, on the wrong side ance allows you to sneak up on the right fit in a more or the wrong face of the board is showing. controlled manner – about .002" at a time. ■ next time: Here’s how to avoid it: Use a cabinet- ■ quick fix: Before you throw away that too-short maker’s triangle to distinguish left, right, front, moulding, there is a way to stretch it a tad with a back, inside and outside at a glance. Here’s how: sharp and a few minutes of work. By Say you’re building a drawer. Once you get your a slight taper on the backside of the mould- parts cut out, put the sides together and then place ing (the part that attaches to the cabinet or wall), the drawer front on the end so it makes a “T.” Draw you can actually make the piece of moulding a lit- a triangle that spans the three parts and points to tle bit longer. If this is moulding that goes on the the front of the drawer. Put the back piece against side of a cabinet, you want the taper to begin at the the sides in a “T” formation and draw another tri- back and diminish to nothing at the miter. angle that spans the three pieces and points to the Drawer front

The cabinetmaker’s triangle will front of the drawer, as shown at right. Now you’ll save your bacon. The point of the always know how the pieces should be oriented triangle always faces front (or to without labeling each joint. the top). Mark all your assem- The same cabinetmaker’s triangle works with blies with it before cutting your doors, too. Always mark the triangle on the out- joints, as shown here. side face of the board and always have it point up to the top of the case. Drawer ■ quick fix: If you use a slow-setting glue or hide sides glue (which is reversible with hot water), the obvi- ous solution is to take the thing apart and try again. But, unfortunately, these problems usually are dis- A smaller hole is easily made big- covered when it’s too late. ger by pounding a temporary plug in place before drilling the 8 Two Left Feet new hole. ■ Problem: You’re the dados and rabbets in a case side, drawer or other box and you forget that you have left- and right-sided pieces. So you make two left-handed or right-handed parts. ■ next time: Again, the cabinetmaker’s trian- gle can help you avoid this problem. And here’s another tip: You should stack your left and right pieces in different piles as you work.

9 You Drill a Large Hole that is too Small ■ Problem: You bore a hole with a Forstner or hole saw that is too small, and locating the center for the next size up is hard because of the existing hole. ■ next time: You’re working too fast; slow down. nail the moulding to the doors. Voilá again. Your ■ quick fix: It’s easy. Cut a square plug you can doors are bigger. pound into the round hole. Mark the center on the plug and cut your new hole. 11 Your Pencil Line is Too Fine To See or Too Dark to Remove 10 Your Doors Don’t Fit ■ Problem: We all hate erasing and sanding off ■ Problem: Your doors are too small or crooked to the pencil marks on a project, and some of us mark fit in their opening. really fine lines to make that part of the job easier. ■ next time: To avoid this problem, rip your stiles Unfortunately, it’s easy to overlook a fine pencil and rails 1⁄8" wider than your cut list calls for. Then line and miscut. So we make the lines darker, which you can square and trim the door easily to size. dents the wood and is difficult to remove. ■ quick fix: To repair your immediate problem, ■ next time: Hold your pencil at a low angle and trim the doors so they’re square – even if this results don’t keep it too sharp when marking parts for iden- in gaps (called “reveals”) between your case and tification (see the photo on page 20). This makes doors that are too big. Now you can fix your prob- lines that are easy to read for quick reference, but lem with moulding. Mill some 5⁄16"-thick x 3⁄4"- don’t dent the wood. wide flat moulding and cut a profile on one edge ■ quick fix: Remove all pencil lines using a rag that matches the style of your project (a goes soaked with denatured alcohol before sanding. well with traditional furniture; a bevel looks good with more contemporary pieces). 12 You Ruin One of the If you’re building a face-frame cabinet, miter Critical Parts to Your Project and nail the moulding to the inside edges of the ■ Problem: This is painful for woodworkers to dis- face frame. Voilá. The hole for your doors just got cuss. After a part so it’s almost done, smaller. If you have a frameless cabinet, miter and something happens and the part is ruined. Hold your pencil at this low Stain the board and add your topcoat finish of angle and use a light touch when choice. Then take your sample board into the room marking pieces (not joinery). where the project will be located. Daylight, flores- This will keep you from denting cent and lamp light all make stain colors look sur- the wood. prisingly different. ■ quick fix: Get out the can of stripper or the appropriate solvent. You’ll never be happy with a bad-looking finish.

15 When You Glue Up a Panel The Edges Don’t Close Up ■ Problem: You joint the edges of the boards you ■ next time: Making replacement parts is eas- are planning to glue into a panel but there are gaps ier if you plan for the problem in advance. First, between the boards’ edges. You check the jointer’s always run out extra stock in all the thicknesses fence and it reads 90° to the bed. you’re using (thickness is the most difficult dimen- ■ next time: Even if your square says the fence is sion to reproduce). For the critical parts in a proj- at 90°, it might be a little off at other places on the ect, always make an extra one. For a table, make fence. Or your square is off. Either way, there’s an an extra leg. For a set of doors, make an extra stile easy way to fix the problem: geometry. Use the and a couple extra rails. power of complementary angles to make perfect tabletops and other flat panels. 13 Fasteners Too Long For every joint in the tabletop, mark one board ■ Problem: One of us (who shall remain nameless) to edge-joint with its face against the fence, then once nailed a project to his father’s bench with a joint its mate with the face facing away from the pneumatic nailer. The nails were too long. Nails jointer’s fence. Even if your jointer is off by some and screws that emerge where they are not supposed whopping degree, the two angles will cancel each to emerge is sadly common. With screws this hap- other out and result in a tight fit. pens when you countersink too deep or the clutch ■ quick fix: If you glued up the panel, rip it apart is set too high on your cordless drill. along the joint lines and start over. ■ next time: You can measure your fasteners and keep them organized to avoid this problem, but we 16 More Panel Problems: have a better solution. Before you fire a nail or drive The Boards Slip at Glue-up a screw, hold it up to the work. Fasteners should Problem: You’re gluing up a tabletop. As you apply be slightly less than twice as long as the material clamping pressure, the boards slip up and down, they’re passing through. For example, when join- and refuse to line up. ing 3⁄4" material, use 11⁄4"-long screws. ■ next time: To avoid the problem in the future, When driving screws, always measure your consider using , splines or biscuits to line up and start with a low clutch setting. the boards during critical glue-ups (though they will not add any strength to the joint). 14 The Color of Your Finish Clamp only until the joint closes – no further. Isn’t What You Expected Most woodworkers use far too much pressure when ■ Problem: Surprise surprise, the stain color on clamping. And the pipe in pipe clamps tends to your project looks nothing like the stain color on bend under pressure, which also can push the the can (or in your head). boards out of alignment. ■ next time: Good finishing requires making a sam- ■ quick fix: If you’re in the middle of a glue-up, ple board beforehand. As you are sanding or plan- grab handscrew clamps and clamp them across the ing the parts of your project, take one of your extra joints at each end of the panel. Then apply pres- boards, and sand or plane it the same way. This sure with your bar clamps. PWM means sanding them using the same equipment, the Have we missed some of the dumbest mistakes? E- same amount of pressure and for the same amount mail your mistakes to [email protected] of time. Use this as your sample board. and it might appear in a future issue. O U R B e s T Tricks of the Trade

Here are the best tricks we’ve published over the last 25 years.

Truing Your Squares didn’t have to drop the last framing or outside (91°). Use a pointed steel Strike here to square I bought to knock it out of (an old nail set also will work) and a good- widen square Isquare – it came from the store that sized hammer to strike the square at either way. So I chalked that up to Murphy’s Law, the inside or outside corner of the square, took it back and got another one from a and check it again for squareness. Striking different manufacturer. It too was out of to the inside corner will widen the square, square! While whining about this problem while striking to the outside corner will con- to a fellow woodworker, he looked at me strict the square. If it isn’t fixed the first time, like I was dumb and said, “You mean you simply hit it again. don’t know how to true up your square?” Now when I drop my framing square I Ten minutes later I was in my shop test- don’t get nearly as frenzied. I just head for Strike here to ing out his advice with a hammer. the punch and hammer. constrict square First determine which direction the David Thiel

square is out of true – to the inside (89°) senior editor IllustrationShanesyHayes by

‘Dog-Bone’ Frame Clamps Tarnishing New Brass There are some amazing specialty clamps The routing template is the only bit of diffi- Have you ever seen shiny new brass on an for gluing miters, and we’re also amazed culty, but once that template is made it’s sim- old piece of furniture? It just doesn’t look by some of the prices. It’s no trick to spend ple to clamp up the corner until the glue is right. What I do is tarnish the new brass $40 apiece for mitered corner clamps. And dry. Then release the dog bone clamps and to give it an antique look that better suits because most frames have four corners, they’re ready to use the next time you need the furniture it’s attached to. Pour a little you can spend $160 very easily. By stealing to glue up your next set of miters. ammonia in the bottom of a glass casse- some much less expensive hardware from Steve Shanesy role dish. Place a brick, or similar object, a commercial application, we’ve come up editor and publisher in the bottom of the dish to elevate the with a much cheaper miter clamp that brass above the ammonia. Put the brass works great for picture frames. Tight-joint piece on top of the brick and cover the fasteners, often called “dog bones” Routed container to keep it airtight. Ammonia in the trade, are commonly used ‘Dog bone’ space vapors are harmful so do this in a well- to pull countertops together, but ventilated room. The process takes only a by shortening the length of the few minutes; the amount of tarnish on the and making a routered cut- brass is regulated by the amount of time out on the back of the frame cor- the brass is exposed to the vapors. ners you can make a pretty simple Frank Neimeyer

corner clamp for less than a buck. IllustrationMcCormickJohn by Horseheads, New York Add Dust Collection and a Handy Shelf to Your Contractor Saw Here is a simple solution to two issues: the need for a convenient place to put the rip fence and miter gauge when not being used (as well as push sticks, featherboards, etc.), and a way to close off the underside of a contractor-style table saw to provide a surface to mount a dust port. I used a piece of 3⁄4" medium-density fiberboard (MDF) cut to 32" x 24". Unbolt the saw from the stand and raise it about 1" using and shims. Slide the MDF between the saw and the stand, and mark the location of the mounting holes through the stand. Remove the MDF and drill slightly oversized mounting holes at the marked locations. Cut a hole for the dust collection port at this time. Now slide the MDF in place and bolt the saw to the stand. Longer mounting bolts may be necessary. Dust hood Fasten 1⁄4" x 1" strips to the edge of the MDF to provide a lip to help prevent items from sliding off. Finally, screw the dust col- lection port to the underside of the MDF. Thomas Sage JM Waukegan, Illinois

Sturdy, Fold-away Work Horses Here are some useful sawhorses for woodworkers like me, who have Certainly they can be configured to suit other, more particular, limited room to work, and even less room dedicated to storage. I requirements. I don’t know what the weight capacity of these cannot claim design rights for these because I got the general con- sawhorses is, but I have used them for several years now for all figuration from a workman who came to my house several years sorts of purposes. In fact, two adults have stood atop the horses ago to install a water purifier. His were made using 1 x 4 material, without incident with 2 x 8s laid over them to make a platform. over which he placed a piece of to make a temporary work table. They seemed strong even in that thin material, so I decided Ralph Scheeler to build mine using 2 x 4s, which suited my needs more adequately. New Orleans, Louisiana

30"

3" door hinges typical

3 30" 2 x 4 lumber typical 30 ⁄4"

51⁄8"

5" JM Forstner-powered Dovetail Pins

Chiseling and paring away the waste between dovetail pins can be largely elim-

JM inated by using a Forstner bit to remove the waste. Set up a Forstner bit (the diam- eter equal to your drawer side thickness)

Diamond stone in your drill press and set the depth stop JM to just shy of the bottom layout line. Drill Dull Router Bits into the rear face of the piece, then sim- Draw Accurate Lines ply pare the remaining waste for a per- Around Corners Most shops have two types of router bits fect fit. This trick saves a lot of time. – dull and sharp ones. It’s easy to tell the Robert Poole Many years ago my square myste- difference because the sharp bits ease Vancouver, British Columbia riously disappeared at the start of my base- through the wood while the dull bits ment finishing project. So I started using a labor. Sometimes a good cleaning is all butt hinge to mark lumber. It worked better the bit needs. Any good blade solvent than I had hoped. My carpenter square is will rid bits of pitch and resin. still hiding from me, but I still use a 31⁄2" x Once the bit is clean I like to use a 31⁄2" full-mortise butt hinge for transfer- fine monocrystalline diamond stone ring my layout marks for trim work. with a couple drops of water to hone The real advantage of using a hinge the flats of the carbide. Count the num- is that it allows you to bring lines around ber of strokes taken on each flat, then corners, such as when you’re a repeat this process with the other car- tenon, with minimum error. When choos- bide surface on the bit. Diamond stones JM ing a hinge for this purpose, select one with- will sharpen carbide or high-speed steel. Forstner bit out a finial (which will get in the way of your Clean up the removes I only use carbide cutters because they line) and one without a lot of slop between rest with a majority of stay sharp longer. Don’t attempt to chisel waste in pin the leaves and the hinge pin. The tighter sharpen spiral router bits – send those the hinge, the more accurate your layout to the sharpening shop. lines will ultimately be. Scott Phillips Milo Meyers Piqua, Ohio Seattle, Washington

Double-duty Dovetail I was intrigued with Nick Engler’s Ingenious Jigs article from Decem- ber 2001 that showed you how to make a jig for cutting perfect dados in the sides of case pieces. After my last project, where the routing was the most repetitious and boring part of the piece, I thought there should be an easier way. I wasn’t happy with the dados made using my router table, or table saw. I don’t like to take the time to make a jig, even though some have been proven helpful and many times reusable. JM In looking around my shop, my eye alighted on my com- mercial dovetail jig. It had all the properties of the jig from the article: a good, straight, sturdy hold-down clamp with a wide throat to accommodate wide boards or even multiple boards needing the same dado. The clamp that holds boards in the jig makes a perfect fence for my router. When running multiple boards, I did take the Larger pieces precaution of clamping the pieces together with another clamp to can be cut with prevent them from slipping in the jig, as many times slight variances larger jigs Fence/hold-down of wood thickness will allow this to happen. Roberta Keefe Lexington, Kentucky Make a Rabbet Block Plane I recently converted a common #220 Stanley block plane into an effective rabbet plane. a wider opening I think a block plane’s comfort, low profile and blade angle can provide precision for paring tenons, rabbets and of raised File corner on panels (and it’s significantly cheaper than lever cap the typical rabbet plane). File a slot To begin, drill a 5⁄16" hole through the on edge of side of the plane. Next, carefully hacksaw blade Turn a larger front knob an intersection from the plane throat to the for better control hole (making sure the lower cut is shy of the final line). File until the blade seats flush on the new section of plane bed. To accommo- Drill a date the lateral shift in the blade, use a metal 5⁄16" hole grinding wheel to make a recess on the side of the blade. Then file a wider blade slot and one adjustment slightly longer. Next, to improve shaving removal, file a smooth ramp on the corner of the lever cap. Lastly, turn a

larger knob for better two-handed control. IllustrationBantlyMattby File surface flush With all the money you save, you can buy Saw wall of plane from the another #220 and modify the other side. drilled hole to the throat Stephen Campbell Westhampton, Massachusetts

A Mortise Cleaning Tool

When mortising I found it difficult to 1" deep in a piece of 3⁄4"-diameter hardwood remove waste left at the bottom of the dowel, then tap the Allen into the mortise by my hollow-chisel mortising hole. This tool works well for cleaning mor- bit. Prying it out with a bench chisel tise slots 1⁄4" wide and up. For larger mortises often damaged the shoulder of the mor- make one with a larger Allen wrench. Grind top flat to tise and was not kind to the cutting edge Mike Callihan create a 30° angle of the chisel. I needed a tool with a right- Burnsville, North Carolina angle cutting edge that would allow me to scrape the bottom of the mortise right up to the corners, then pull the chips out. I figured out how to make one from a7 ⁄32" Hacksaw short end of wrench Allen wrench. Here’s how: at 45°. Grind cut face flat. With a hacksaw, cut the short leg off 3 at a 45° angle, leaving about ⁄4" of length 7⁄32" Allen wrench on that leg, then grind the face of the cut flat. Next, grind the top of the short leg 3⁄4"-dia. dowel flat to create a 30° cutting edge at the intersection with the first cut. The exact angle isn’t critical. You just want it sharp enough to cut well, but sturdy enough to withstand the prying action. Go easy with the grinding, cooling the metal fre- quently in water. If you overheat it while grinding, it will lose its temper and your MB tool will dull quickly in use. For a handle, drill a 3⁄16" hole at least A Bit of a A Double-duty Disc If you enjoy making your own woodworking tools, as I do, here’s I make a lot of wooden toys and find my disc sander indispens- a good-quality marking knife you can create from a humble used- able for both shaping and smoothing small parts. Unfortu- up spade bit and a small scrap of wood. nately, this calls for the use of both coarse and fine discs, and I To make the knife, begin by grinding a 3⁄4" spade bit to a V- have only one disc sander. My solution is to mount both #80- shaped tip as shown, then grind the bevels on one face of the bit. grit and #150-grit paper to the disc at the same time. A circle When grinding, quench the metal occasionally in water or oil to of one grit is attached to the center of the sander’s platen, while prevent bluing it and drawing the temper. Then hone the bevels the other grit surrounds it as a ring. and opposite face of the bit to a mirror polish on sharpening stones. To make the discs, I stack two sheets of standard 9" x 11" Then use a hacksaw to cut the round shank about 2" long. upside down on a scrap panel. Using a , I To make the handle, first cut a piece of stock to about5 ⁄8" x 1" mark out a 41⁄2"-diameter circle within a 9" circle, then knife x 5". (Here’s a chance to use some of that exotic scrap you’ve been through the lines. I stick one set of these perfectly matched hoarding.) Drill a 2"-deep hole into one end, then shape the han- discs to my sander’s platen. When the sandpaper wears out, I dle for a smooth, comfortable feel. Epoxy the shank into the han- simply replace it with the complementary set of sandpaper. dle and you’re done – you’ve got a beautiful, functional marking Dan Reeve knife that probably will outlive you. Swanville, Maine Peter Giolitto Epsom Surrey, England 9" dia. outer sanding ring 2" 41⁄2" dia. inner disc

Grind spade bit to point Drill 2" deep hole in handle MB Cross Grind and hone bevels section MB

Shape handle for comfort Cut two different grits at the same time

Low-tech Grinder Angle Gauges Hang Pictures the Easy Way Setting up the proper angle on a grinder After having moved several times, I thought toolrest can be a fussy business. To simplify I had mastered the art of hanging pictures matters, I make angle gauges from Popsi- and mirrors using masking tape, rules, pen- cle sticks. I scribe the end of a stick to the cils and guesswork. Recently I happened desired angle, then sand to the line using a upon an idea that eliminates all of these. It’s disc sander. I drill a hole in the opposite end a simple device made from 3⁄4" pine, a 3⁄4" and note the angle on the stick with a perma- roofing nail and a piece of rubber band (to nent marker. My gauges all hang on a metal keep the nail from falling out). shower curtain ring near my grinder. Place the frame’s hardware (wire, hanger Craig Bentzley and frame edge) over the nail head. Next, Chalfont, Pennsylvania holding the handle, position the picture where you want it, remove the picture with- StuardIllustrationJim by Popsicle stick out moving the tool and press the nail head into the wall with your thumb. The nail Rubber

MB leaves a small dimple – the exact spot to band place your nail or picture hook. Art Misicka 3⁄4" Shower Roanoke, Virginia roofing curtain hook nail Shop-made Squaring Sticks The best way to check the squareness of an assembly is to compare its diagonal measurements to make sure they match. The quickest and most accurate way to do this is to use squaring sticks. You can easily make your own squar- ing sticks from straight-grained scrap as 3⁄4" square sticks shown. Simply saw a mating tongue and (length based on need) 3 Tongue groove into the edges of two ⁄4"-square and groove sticks. This joint keeps the sticks aligned keep sticks in use. The 40° miters at the ends allow aligned easy insertion into case and frame cor- Each stick is cut ners. When comparing diagonals, use a at 40° small clamp to hold the sticks in length- wise position. Then, using the same set of sticks, measure the other diagonal. If the assembly is square, the length should be the same. I make pairs in various lengths to suit different sized projects.

Roger Winers MB St. Paul, Minnesota Spring clamp holds sticks together

Better Bit Storage – Yes, You can Mix Different-sized Shanks Scraper Honing on the Square

I recently built a router table that included My solution was to drill 1⁄2"-diameter When I sharpen a scraper, I like to hone drawers with drilled holes to accommo- holes for all of the bits and then use shop- the edge on a before date my ever-growing collection of nearly made wooden “bushings” as inserts for the burnishing it to create a burr. Holding 100 router bits. The problem I faced was 1⁄4"-diameter bits as needed. To make the the scraper perfectly perpendicular to how to properly organize them. I like to bushings, I cut short lengths of 1⁄2"-diame- the stone’s surface can be a little tricky. store bits according to their use – straight ter dowel, then bored a 9⁄32"-diameter hole Rather than trying to accomplish this bits, flush-trim bits, edging bits, etc. – but in the center using my drill press. freehand, I take a piece of scrap (about some have 1⁄4"-diameter shanks and some The easiest way to do this is to first bore 3⁄4" x 2" x 4") and cut a kerf about two- have 1⁄2"-diameter shanks. I wanted to a 1⁄2"-diameter hole in a piece of thick scrap thirds of the way along its length with arrange the bits in proper order regard- clamped to the drill press table. Then, with- the band saw. Then I slip the scraper in less of their shank size. out moving the scrap, you can insert a sec- the kerf and hone away, using the scrap tion of dowel into the hole and replace the piece to keep the scraper upright. 1⁄2"-diameter bit with a 9⁄32"-diameter bit. Burt Kenton

1⁄2"-dia. bushing You now can drill a hole easily in the center Arlington, Tennessee can be placed in of the dowel, holding it with or a clamp any hole to prevent it from spinning. It’s wise to make A kerf in the block keeps the scraper a good supply of these for future use. perpendicular to the stone Stauffer Lewisburg, Tennessee MB MB

Scrap block is about 3⁄4" x 2" x 4" Routing Dados with Shims Routing dados and grooves across boards approach is to make the second cut by plac- typically involves making two passes with ing a shim of the proper thickness against a straight router bit while guiding the router the body of a T-square clamped against the against a . The problem is that workpiece, as shown at right. resetting the guide for the second cut is time- Percy Blandford consuming and leads to errors in the width Stratford-upon-Avon, England of the cut. A quicker and more accurate MB

For first cut, router Shim spaces out router, is against fence making dado wider

Wrapping Grain Around Boxes # One of the nicest features a small box can $ have is when the grain runs uninterrupted 1 around all four corners. Not only is this visu- ally pleasing, it also adds structural integrity ! because wood movement will be consistent at the corners. It’s a mystifying trick for some, " but it’s not difficult. Begin with stock that is MB 1⁄4" thicker than twice the thickness of the # box walls and 1⁄4" longer than the length of two contiguous parts, as shown in Step 1. 2 $ Label the outermost surfaces for future ref- erence, then resaw this stock and plane the ! two resawn pieces to final thickness, remov- ing as little wood as possible. Next, crosscut Continuous grain each piece to yield two contiguous pieces, as " shown in Step 2. Label the pieces near the ends for later reassembly in the orientation shown. After mitering the ends and assem- # bling the box as shown in Step 3, one pair $ of diagonally opposed corners will display a 3 bookmatched joint and the other corners will display a continuous flow of grain. ! Geoffrey Noden Bookmatched grain Trenton, New Jersey Bookmatched grain "

Continuous grain Dust Collection at the Lathe Crosscut Set-up Block When I was turning lots of pens and small items for holiday pres- When crosscutting multiple short workpieces on the table saw, the ents, I came up with this dust-collection hood. It’s simply a 3"- typical approach is to clamp a set-up block to the rip fence on the diameter schedule 40 PVC “Y” connection that I cut in half and infeed side of the blade, then register the workpiece against the mounted to a wooden base that attaches to the lathe bed. It can block before moving the workpiece forward into the cut. Using be slid back and forth if needed for longer objects, but it really a set-up block (instead of the rip fence) to register the workpiece excels with items less than 6" long. For more efficient suction, I prevents the resulting offcut from jamming between the fence filed a radius on the sharp internal edge of the “Y.” and blade, and being thrown back at you. Greg Strately However, even when using a large set-up block, I found that Truth or Consequences, New Mexico I still had to reach between the fence and the blade to retrieve the offcut. This isn’t a safe maneuver unless you shut off the table saw after each cut, which wastes a lot of time. To solve the problem, I made the adjustable set-up block shown below. It simply consists of a notched block that is glued The 3"-diameter PVC “Y” attaches to jig with screws and screwed to a runner that rides in my table saw’s miter gauge slot. A gauge bar that passes through the notch is locked in the desired position by a thumbscrew that runs through a threaded Jig attaches to lathe bed insert in the block above the bar. with a thumbscrew To ensure the longevity of this jig, I inlaid a brass strip into the gauge bar and recessed a brass disc into the underside of the notched block to prevent the end of the thumbscrew from mar- ring and galling the brass strip. Craig Bentzley Chalfont, Pennsylvania

Thumbscrew Brass wear strip

Notched block

File radius on sharp internal edge Runner

MB Rare earth magnet

Precise Hinge Placement When installing butt hinges, it’s hard to know exactly where to drill the holes. Here’s a method I use: I attach one leaf of each hinge to the door and then spread a five-minute epoxy (or cyanoacrylate) on the other leaf. I tape a layer of between the leaves to keep the epoxy from bonding it in a closed posi- tion, then slip the door into its frame and shim it into position within the opening. When the epoxy has cured, I open the door and install the wood screws. Devore O. Burch Fort Worth, Texas MB Get Glue in Tight Places I was repairing an old saw handle that had a small but deep crack that resisted glue injec- tion. I was puzzling over how to fix it when I landed upon the idea of drawing epoxy into Food vacuum sealer the crack using vacuum pressure. I dug out the kitchen vacuum food bagger, put a blob of epoxy over the crack, then put the handle in the plastic bag and sucked the air out. The epoxy disappeared into the crack Place piece to be like magic, after which I quickly removed the repaired in the piece from the bag and wiped off the excess vacuum sealer before it set up. The technique works very well for any project small enough to stick in the bag, including broken plane totes and small turnings.

Wayne Anderson Removing air from bag MB Elk River, Minnesota draws glue into piece

Custom Sanding Blocks for any Moulding Your Drill Press Hand-sanding curved surfaces on mould- To shape the block, first lay a piece of Is a Clamp, Too ings, handrails and other work is diffi- #220-grit sandpaper grit-side up against the The drill press will accomplish many cult to do efficiently, and it can be brutal surface to be sanded. Then rub the sanding jobs such as routing, buffing, drilling, on the fingers. I’ve learned that using a block against the paper in a straight line until sanding and turning. The drill press mirror-image makes all the it conforms to the shape of the surface, as can also be used as a vertical clamp difference. To make a sanding block that shown below. After that, simply wrap a fresh when it’s difficult to use conventional you can shape to suit your needs, begin with sheet of sandpaper around the sanding block clamps, like gluing a lamp to a lamp a thick piece of rigid foam insulation (avail- to sand your workpiece, this time grit-side base. Just lock the table in position at able at home-supply stores) or Styrofoam you down. It’s amazing how much more efficient the desired height, lower the chuck saved from the packing material around your and comfortable this is than if you use your to apply pressure and lock the quill latest piece of stereo equipment. The block fingers as a backer. in place while the glue sets. should be as thick or wide as the section of Linda Denny Dick Dorn moulding you want to sand. Houston, Texas Oelwein, Iowa

Rub foam block Remove Finish over sandpaper From Grooves

Wrap a fresh sheet I had trouble removing from of sandpaper grit-side down inside the grooves of a chair I was around block . So I saturated a string with chemical stripper, wrapped it around the grooves, and worked it back and forth to loosen the paint. This method helps concentrate the remover in hard

MB to reach areas, and it doesn’t run off, #220-grit or dry and harden. sandpaper, Lane Olinghouse grit-side up Everett, Washington Legs With a Simple Swap and Twist Whenever I make a piece of furniture Then rotate the 1⁄ First, switch the with four identically shaped legs, I arrange 2X + 4" position of the them to display bookmatched grain when position of the two diagonally other legs 180° 1 viewed from any side of the piece. 2Y + ⁄4" placed legs To accomplish this, I begin with a piece of stock that is the length of the legs and square in section. In thickness and width, the stock should equal twice that of a single leg, plus 1⁄4" for milling. For best symmetry and harmony, use a piece where the growth rings run diagonally across the end of the piece, which results in consistent bastard grain on every face of each leg. Next, scrawl a triangle in chalk on one end of the stock, then rip Draw a chalk the piece into quarters to make your four triangle to help reposition individual leg blanks. legs after cutting Using the triangle as a reference, re- constitute the original piece of stock and label the matched faces on the ends of the leg blanks as shown in the drawing. you maintain this relationship of the legs in Next, rearrange the individual leg blanks the piece of furniture, the grain on each pair to display the bookmatched faces on the of legs will be a mirror image when viewed outsides. This is done by switching the from any side of the piece. MB position of two diagonally placed legs and Geoffrey Noden rotating the other legs 180°, as shown. If Trenton, New Jersey

Ancient Idea Extends a Clamp’s Reach Honing Blades Recently, I found myself needing to clamp down a patch on a I was trying to hone a spokeshave blade by hand for the first time tabletop, but it was out of the reach of my deep-throat clamps. and was having a hard time holding it at the proper angle. I typi- Recalling a trick a pal showed me years ago, I grabbed a long, cally use a honing jig for sharpening plane irons, but the spoke- stout piece of hardwood and a short piece of thick dowel. Plac- shave blade was too short to fit into the jigs I own. ing the dowel near the edge of the table where it could serve as a So I got to thinking and came up with the idea to remove the fulcrum (an ancient idea), I laid one end of the stick on top of it iron and chipbreaker from a , loosen the screw and with the other end on top of a protective clamping pad over the clamp the spokeshave blade between the iron and the cap iron. patch. Clamping the stick ahead of the dowel transferred pres- This projected the spokeshave blade out far enough for hon- sure to the patch. If you don’t have a section of dowel, a triangu- ing. This configuration won’t withstand a lot of pressure, but it’s lar piece of stock will work as a fulcrum, too. strong enough to hold the blade in place for me to hone it. Matt Lackerman Dan Donaldson Eureka, California Canton, Michigan Stout hardwood stick

Clamp pad Plane iron Plane cap iron Dowel

MB Spokeshave blade

Honing jig MB Means to a Perfect End Low-tech Cockbeading If the ends of fairly narrow pieces of stock A small cockbead makes a neat finish to must be routed to a moulding profile, it’s the edge of a board such as a drawer front. difficult to keep the cutter in-line. Because But beading planes are things of the past of the minimal surface to provide guid- and suitable router bits are expensive. I ance for the router bearing or fence, the LC LC find I can do an acceptable job with a slot- cutter may wander and ruin the work. head screw in a piece of scrap wood. I use You can get clean cuts on the good a #10 gauge steel screw, but you can use a parts by clamping scrap pieces on the out- size to match the intended bead. side edges. This provides the enlarged Drive the screw into the scrap wood bearing surface necessary. Should the so the head projects the width you want cutter wander at start or finish, the dam- the bead. Turn the screw so one side of age will be on the scrap wood, leaving the its slot acts like a little plane iron. This good parts perfect. makes the groove and you can round the Percy Blandford outer edge with an ordinary plane. Fin- Stratford-upon-Avon, England ish off with sandpaper. A Chisel for Dovetails Stanley Clark Tampa, Florida Bevel-edge are intended for par- ing inside angles of less than 90°, such as corners of dovetails. However, they can be up to 1⁄16" thick at the edge, so they will not go closely into the acute angle. IllustrationChurchillLen by It’s better to modify your 1⁄4" square-edge chisel by grinding its edges to nearly no LC thickness at the edges. It will go right into the acute angle, when needed, and is still Good Scrap parts suited for other cuts. Percy Blandford Scrap Stratford-upon-Avon, England

This Clamp is a ‘Pipe Dream’ Another Method of Transferring Patterns My hobby is making wooden toys. I find that making a num- Fabric shops sell a toothed wheel for transferring paper patterns to ber of the same model toy at the same time is easier and faster; cloth. These toothed wheels are also very handy for transferring however, I’ve had a problem with clamps. I need spring clamps patterns to wood. Tape the pattern down to prevent slippage and and C-clamps, and I need a bunch of them. roll the wheel along the lines. Then wipe powered chalk or talcum I tried rubber bands, but they didn’t work well. Then I powder over the pattern – it passes through the tiny holes to mark found a piece of 3" Schedule 40 PVC drain pipe leftover from the wood. Because there are often patterns on both sides of a sheet, a household project, and I cut it into 1⁄2" and 3⁄4" sections. I you can make permanent plywood, or heavy cardboard next cut a small section out of the individual rings and tried patterns for future use, without cutting up the originals. them out. They worked beautifully. A 3" clamp can be spread Don Kinnaman to hold a 41⁄2" lamination. You can buy PVC in lots of differ- Phoenix, Arizona ent sizes, and I’ve found it to be quite economical. Warren Wingerter New Orleans, Louisiana Know When to Stop Sanding When sanding glued-up panels with a , it can be difficult to know when the joint is leveled. I used to stop every few seconds to run my hand across the boards to see if the panel was flat yet. Now I draw a serpentine line down each glue line with a soft lead pen- cil. When the pencil line is completely gone, so are the irregulari- ties of the glue line and I know the joint is level. Michael Burton LC Glorieta, New Mexico Laying Out Large Curves and Arcs This simple jig results in a sharp, clean lay- Bow out line when drawing large curves and arcs. It consists of two parts that I call the “bow” and adjustment “arrow.” The bow is made Notched arrow from stock 3⁄16" to 1⁄4" thick and 3⁄4" wide. The length can vary depending on the size of the curve needed. The one I use the most Nylon string

is 32" long. Cut a thin slot in each end, run LC nylon string between the notches, and secure it with a knot at each end. Make the 12"-to 14"-long adjustment arrow from 3⁄8" to 3⁄4" stock. Narrow one end of the arrow, and cut Offset and parallel pencil line slots every 1⁄2" to permit different curvatures 1⁄4"-thick disk with pencil hole in center of the bow. To use the device, place the arrow in the bow with the string in a notch that bends the bow into the curve you want. Note parallel to a curve drawn with the “bow hold the disk against the bow and allow that by changing the position of the arrow and arrow” jig. Simply turn a 1⁄4"-thick disk it to turn as you move it. The line will be in relation to the center of the bow, differ- with a radius equal to the distance you want parallel to the curve of the bow. ent shapes can be created. between the two parallel curves. Drill a hole Robert Colpetzer Here’s another simple device you can in the center just big enough to accommo- Clinton, Tennessee make if you want to draw a curve exactly date a pencil tip. With the pencil inserted,

A Better Birdsmouth Planing Block An Improved Hold-down for Your A block with an acute-angled “V” cut in it is not a new idea for hold- I had to replace a badly worn bench hook and made the new ing thin material on edge over the benchtop. It might be screwed one with one end undercut. It gives me a better grip on thin to the benchtop or made removable with dowel rods in the block stock and round pieces, such as dowel rods. going down squarely into holes in the benchtop. Even before wear The board is hardwood, with a base of 3⁄4" x 5" x 13". The takes place, the block is liable to rise under the pressure of planing. ends, 11⁄2" square, are secured with glue and 1⁄2" dowels. The You can cure this by arranging the dowel pegs at a slight angle, so undercut is about 3⁄4" deep with a 60° bevel. planing pressure has a tightening effect on them. Percy Blandford Make the block and drill for the pegs, then use it as a template Stratford-upon-Avon, England or jig for drilling the benchtop, before gluing in the dowels. Will Atkins 11⁄2" Chicago, Illinois

3⁄4" 11⁄2" LC 45° LC 45° A Third Hand at the Workbench The Center of Our Attention Add a to your bench. This simple jig wedges against It’s easy to locate the center of any circle with a carpenter’s your workbench’s leg to support big or long workpieces, such as a square. Place the square over the circle in the first position door. Clamp one end of your work in your vise and rest the bottom as shown by the solid line, with the outside of the heel of the edge of the other end of your work on this jig. square touching the circle at point B1. Then mark the points These quick supports are easy to adjust and can be made from a A1 and C1. Turn the square over and place it in the second good 2 x 4, a small strip of wood and a few screws. The size and angle random position as shown by the dotted line. Mark as before can be adjusted to fit your needs. and join the A to C points. The point where these two lines If your project is shorter than your bench (falling between the intersect will be the center of the circle. two supports), you can add a 2 x 4 running from leg to leg as a cross- Thomas LaMance beam support. For even extra support you can screw the cross beam Prewitt, New Mexico to the helping hands. Dan Lindsey Girard, Pennsylvania

C2

B2

A1

Bench leg side C1 Slight upward B1 angle compensates for project’s weight JM 30° cut LC

Glue and Clamp Odd-shaped Pieces Dry-assemble the pieces in the center area of a piece of plywood that extends at least 1⁄2" beyond the outside edges of the assem- bled pieces. Trace the outline onto the plywood; then remove the pieces. Cut the plywood in half, and band saw the out- LC line. Cut off an extra 1⁄4" on one side of the center cut so that the plywood forms do not bind and prevent the pieces from clamping tightly together. After applying glue and assembling the pieces, place the plywood forms around the assembly and clamp across the outside edges. C.E. Rannefeld Decatur, Alabama Pinch Clamps for Flat Panels Drafted for Accuracy saw blade, of course), you can use these The problem with not using splines, dow- To set up the miter gauge on your table to double-check and fine tune the desired els or biscuits when joining boards edge-to- saw to exactly 15°, 30°, 45° and 60°, first angle. To get the 15° setting, you need to edge is that it’s difficult to keep boards even purchase two drafting triangles, one 12", use both triangles side by side. These tri- so that a flat surface results. I recently solved 45°/90°, and one 14", 30°/60°. They’re angles are also handy for checking blade this problem by making simple pinch clamps available at most large office-supply stores. tilt angles, including 90°. out of 1x2 scrap, as shown below. With one edge of the triangle against the Joseph G. Zweck Cut out an opening using the table saw or miter gauge, and the other lined up along Madison, Wisconsin band saw. Make it the same size as the thick- the miter gauge groove (parallel to the ness of the boards you’ll be joining. I have sev- eral of these handy when I am edge gluing. When I have applied the glue to the boards and placed them together, I press the clamps 75° over the end of the joint to ensure that the boards stay aligned during clamping. Cham- fer the ends of the clamps to ease their appli- cation. The pinch clamps will work if the boards are of different thickness. I slip the clamps off before the glue dries, or I use wax paper, so they don’t become permanently adhered to the boards I’m gluing. LC Roopinder Tara Grove, Pennsylvania LC 45/90° 30/60°

Decimals to Fractions Splitting Odd Fractions ‘New Math’ Slashes Fractions Good Woodworking, a woodworking It’s easy to divide an even fraction in half. I read “Splitting Odd Fractions” in the Sep- magazine in Great Britain, published You can almost do it in your head. Odd tember 1999 edition, and I have a much sim- this math tip from Tom Palermo. We fractions, however, seem much more dif- pler system to cut any fraction in half in your thought it good enough to repeat. ficult, but they can be just as easy using head. This revolutionary system eliminates To convert a decimal, multiply it the following process. fractions and has been used for a long time. by the denominator for the fractional To find half of 75 ⁄16", first divide the It’s called the metric system. Everything is resolution you want (e.g. 16). Then 5 by 2, leaving 2 and ... just forget about in decimals and can be added or subtracted take the closest whole number of the the rest. Then add the numerator and in your head. To convert from millimeters answer and that’s the top part (numer- denominator of the 7⁄16" together (7 + (mm) to centimeters (cm), just move the dec- ator) of the fractions. For example: To 16 = 23). You know that the denomina- imal point one place. I’ve found the metric convert .46 to 32nds of an inch, multi- tor of the fraction you’re working for will system superior to our English system, and I ply .46 by 32, making 14.72. The clos- be 32nds, so take the 23 and make it the don’t know why it’s not accepted. All scien- est whole number is 15, so the answer numerator, 23⁄32". tific and technical businesses use it, why do simply is 15⁄32". Add the whole number, and the woodworkers hate the system? answer is 223⁄32". Simple. H.R. Wheeler Bud Deunk Fallon, Nevada Fairview Park, Ohio Plane Very Thin Stock ModifiedH andscrew Most planers are designed to thickness of the board to serve as stops against the By making V-cuts in the end of one of my material to about 1⁄4", and then the blades infeed and outfeed table edges. handscrew clamps I created this handy drill start getting too close to the planer bed With the jig in place, the only press aid for drilling the ends of round stock. for comfort. But by adding a simple jig to run a risk of cutting into the melamine. Cut out the notches on the band saw and your planer you can run most material Carefully choose the material you run to line them with inner-tube rubber or #60- down to about 1⁄8" thick. this thickness because some woods with grit garnet paper to prevent slippage. Best Cut a piece of melamine-coated MDF knots and erratic grain patterns can shat- of all, the clamp can still be used for other to the width of the feed tables and about ter when planed too thin. purposes (just don’t put quite so much pres- 4" longer than the bed of your planer. Popular Woodworking editors sure on the tip). Then attach 1" x 2" cleats to the bottom Don Kinnaman Phoenix, Arizona IllustrationGrahamBlackburnby LC Simple Rule(r) for Simple Division Accessory feed table made Finding the center of a board or dividing of melamine-coated MDF it into equal parts is as easy as grabbing a ruler – and there’s no math required. It’s an old trick but still a good one. Lay the ruler Wedge That Edge diagonally across the board. For seven equal widths, align the ruler on the 0" and 7" marks I wanted to glue a solid wood edge on a across the board and mark off the interven- plywood tabletop so that I could shape the ing inches. Need to find the center? Keep the wood edge with a router. Instead of buying rule at 7" diagonally and mark at the 31⁄2" the rather expensive special three-screw location. It’s that simple. clamps made for this job (and I needed Protective Popular Woodworking editors block many of the clamps), I used an assortment of clamps that are in most every shop plus Intersect the number of small wooden wedges made from scrap equal divisions required wood. The throat of the clamp should be with edge of board the width of the edge plus about an inch Wedge so that the clamp and protective block will clear the glue line. 53⁄4"-wide board If you worry about gluing the protec- tive block to the panel, put wax paper under it. Leave about 1 ⁄4" clearance LC between the edge strip and the clamp 3⁄4" frame, and gently tap in a wedge. It will hold nicely. The method will work with 3-4" most any type of clamp.

J.B. Marshall 1⁄2" MB Silver Spring, Maryland Choose the ‘Right’ Triangle for the Job For benchwork, we can mark things at sure. 4) If you don’t have two tape measures 90° with various squares, but if we get handy, a five unit (25') and a three unit (15') 5 outdoors to lay out the foundations of string starting from the “A” and “B” corners 3 a workshop, the base for a playhouse, or will meet on a direct line to the A corner just a plot of land, squareness becomes a point, which will be square to the baseline. 4 different problem. You can then measure other positions from The corner of a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood these square lines. is usually square and used to mark any- Percy Blandford thing within its range, but many outdoor Stratford-upon-Avon, England projects are bigger than that, so the best method to use to get a large square cor- ner is the 3:4:5 technique. In a triangle with the sides in the proportion 3:4:5, the 25 angle between the two short sides is 90°. 15 So: 1) Choose units in which one short 3:4:5 right triangle side, usually the “3,” is longer than the finished length you want. As an exam- ple, choose 5'. Stretch a baseline string 20' (four “units”) between pegs or nails. # " 2) From the corner point of the trian- gle, stretch your tape measure 15' (three # " units). 3) From the other point measure 20 JM 25' (five units) with another tape mea-

Another Center-finding Trick Painting Stilts Speed Finishing Many people don’t own a center square because they don’t need Many projects require finishing on two sides, as well as along to use it every day. If you need to find the center of a circular edges. You have to finish one side, let it dry, then finish the other. object, you can improvise a center square using other tools. Set Speed up the work with painting stilts. Make the stilts by cut- a bevel square to 45° and position it across the corner of a roofing ting a small triangle, square or circle of 3⁄8" plywood and driv- square so its blade bisects the angle. If you arrange this against ing 6d finishing nails all the way through. It helps to sharpen the the round object and pencil along the blade in two or more posi- nails first on a belt sander or grinder – the sharper the point, the tions, the lines will cross at the center. smaller the mark it will leave on the back of the project. After If you are unsure what to use to set the bevel to 45°, use this finishing the underside of the piece, set it on the stilts and finish magazine. Fold a corner of this page back on itself and the fold the remaining surfaces. Leave it on the stilts if you want to add will be at 45° to the edges. more coats. When dry, lift the project off and there will be only Percy Blandford small prick marks on the underside. Stratford-upon-Avon, England David F. Black Barnwell, South Carolina GB IllustrationPercyBlandfordby Non-binding Box Lids A Square for Sheet Goods Lots of woodworkers who enjoy making boxes prefer to build the Counting on the squareness of a framing square while laying box and lid in one piece and then cut the lid off on the table saw out a cabinet can be an exercise in futility. And if you have a after the glue has cured. This offers a good grain match and elim- square engineer’s square, it might be only 18" long. inates any alignment problems. You can make your own accurate and adequately sized lay- Unfortunately, when the box is separated from the lid, the blade out square from a piece of 1⁄4"-thick hardwood plywood. Sim- will sometimes bind on the last cut. Wedges can be placed in the ply cut a triangle with one edge 49" long, and the adjoining saw kerf, but this is often awkward and possibly dangerous. right-angle edge at 24" long. Next make the stop by cutting a A better idea is to use dabs of hot-melt glue to attach blocks to 1⁄4" x 3⁄4"-deep groove down the center of the 1" edge of a 1" x the inside surface of the box over the location of the lid joint dur- 3" x 24" piece of solid wood. ing assembly. When the box is cut apart, set the saw blade to cut Drill four clearance holes through one leg of the groove, 1⁄2" about 1⁄16" deeper than the thickness of the box side. The box itself in from the grooved edge. Then slip the 1⁄4" plywood blade into will be parted, but the blocks will hold the kerf open. The blocks the groove and put a flathead screw through the hole nearest can then be knocked off and the inside surface sanded. the right angle corner, through the blade and into the oppo- Popular Woodworking editors site side of the stop. Next square up the blade to the stop by drawing a line using Glue blocks to the interior the square on a flat piece of plywood. Flip the square over and in several locations check your line. By moving the loose edge of the blade in and out of the stop you can achieve a square angle, then fasten the other screws in place. Popular Woodworking editors

49" MB LC

Set saw blade to cut 1⁄16" deeper than the thickness 24" of the box side

A Better Bench Hook The traditional bench hook has many uses. Made from 3⁄4" plywood that is 12" wide by 90° 18" to 24" long (though any dimensions will 45° 18"-24" be fine), it has a3 ⁄4" x 2" x 12" cleat attached to each end on opposite faces. The bottom cleat hooks onto the front edge of the work- bench, while the stock is held firmly against the other cleat for cutting or for “shooting” the ends of boards with a plane.

You can improve your bench hook by GB making saw cuts in the top cleat at 45° and 90° for a “mini-miter box.” Turn it over and glue a sheet of #100-grit garnet paper to the 12" other side. This is useful for hand-sanding #100-grit garnet sandpaper small pieces, or you can set small pieces on glued to underside the sandpaper base to keep them from slip- ping while you use a power sander. Don Kinnaman Phoenix, Arizona Squaring on the Table Saw One of the biggest problems I have in my shop is squaring a large board that I’ve glued up from strips. Even with , the two straight edges may not be exactly parallel, so you can’t flip it over to reference the cut from both sides. I developed the following method to ensure a square board. Use a framing square and mark one end of the board square to one side, and mark the edge you use as a guide. Measure the distance from the out- side edge of the saw teeth and the outside edge of the saw table (X). Place a square against the reference edge, and mark the distance (X) from the first line you marked. Clamp a straightedge on the second line. (The clamps must be placed to the right of the straight- X edge.) Now flip the board over and let the straight- edge butt against the right side of the saw tabletop. The straightedge and the tabletop will serve as a fence to guide the piece straight, and you will have excellent control. Do the same for the other end using the same reference edge. Jan C. Plemmons Jacksonville, Florida

Make Cope-and-stick Doors With Fewer Router Cuts When cutting rails and stiles for cope-and-stick doors, I cut them in pairs from wider boards to reduce the number of cuts needed and increase my accuracy. If the stiles and rails are to be 21⁄2" wide, I first cut 15 ⁄2"-wide boards to length. Then I mark each board with an identifying number or symbol to keep them together. I then rip the stiles to width, but I leave the rails at 51⁄2" wide and then cope the ends using a cope-and- stick set in my router table. A wider board is eas- ier to cope on the router table and it saves time

by cutting the number of passes in half. GB X Another benefit is there’s less chance of tear-out. If any tear-out does occur on the ends, you can rip the piece to have the tear-out on the fall-off section because of the extra width. Then, by ripping the rails to finished width, (or a little wider if you want to joint them) and keeping the pairs together, you know they are the same length. This also works well with the stiles, because even a small difference will keep them from being square. By using normal router or shaping practices and backer boards, tear-out should be nil. Charles Townsend Longview, Texas A Simple Jig to Find the Middle

This is another trick that’s so useful it’s been between the dowels 11⁄2", you can draw cen- turned into commercially available jigs. But ter lines on wood from about 1⁄2" up to 11⁄4" simple is still the best. thick. A pencil can be substituted for the nail, There are many times we require a line and a larger jig can be mounted to a router for exactly in the center on the edge of a board, making accurately centered mortises. as when marking dowel positions. This sim- Percy Blandford ple shop-made tool will scratch a center line Stratford-upon-Avon, England on the edge of any board within its capacity. It consists of two pieces of dowel rod project- ing from a piece of wood and a nail with its point projecting midway between them. In use, you twist the tool over the wood so the dowels bear tightly against it and move it along while pressing down to make the nail point scratch the work. If you make the space PB

Add Magnetism to Your Shop Scrapwood Corner Clamp Magnets have been around a long time, but magnetic field, then fused and heat-treated, All shops have scraps of hardwood it wasn’t until recently that a new breed of these magnets have exceptional resistance to plywood. We don’t want to throw out magnet was developed that is extremely use- demagnetization, and they have outstand- even 10" to 12" square chunks because ful in the workshop. ing stability and power. As a woodworker we might need them later. Here is your Neodymium iron boron magnets (more you might recognize the term from a few need right now. commonly known as rare earth magnets or years ago when Porter-Cable introduced its This is a corner clamping aid to be REMs) have properties and powers far beyond Magna-Quench cordless drill/drivers that used with C-clamps, handscrews or those of “regular” magnets. For example, a used rare earth magnets. The magnets’ sur- bar clamps. It will squeeze the corners 1⁄4"-diameter x 1⁄8"-thick rare earth magnet prising strength has now made them useful of bookcases, picture frames or other lifts a 2-pound block of steel; an 1⁄2"-diam- in many other ways. projects. The hole on the inside cor- eter magnet lifts a 10-pound block; a 3⁄4"- We came across rare earth magnets in a ner permits perfect fit of a 90° mitered diameter magnet holds a 20-pound block Lee Valley Tools catalog and ordered some to joint, and prevents any oozing glue of steel; and a 1"-diameter magnet lifts a 35- try them out. We’ve been using them in proj- from sticking to the aid. pound block! ects and around the shop ever since. We’ve The notches on the top and side They are called “rare earth” magnets listed a number of shop and woodworking are for positioning C-clamps for a tight because until recently it was difficult to uses for rare earth magnets that we’ve come fit, or they can be used with bar clamps separate and refine the raw elements used up with below, and hope you’ll let us know to pull the corners on each end toward to give these magnets their almost magic of any others you’ve found. each other. Make these aids from two power. Created under pressure in an oriented Popular Woodworking Magazine editors or three thicknesses of 3⁄4" plywood in sizes to suit your own needs. Don Kinnaman 15 Workshop Uses for Rare Earth Magnets Phoenix, Arizona 1. Attach your chuck key to your drill press attach the hood to the 2. Attach blade right to your saw 10. Make your own high-power magnetic 3. Make catches for doors in small projects featherboards 4. As connectors for toy trains and puzzles 11. Locate metal studs in walls 5. Glue one to a stick or car antenna to 12. Attach plywood faces to a metal vise retrieve a table saw from the 13. Attach shop drawings or cutting lists to 6. The same stick will chase router bits, screws the machine you’re working at and small tools from under 14. Reverse the polarity on two magnets for 7. Check for nails in “found” wood spring-open lids in boxes or cases without 8. As tool hangers in shop cabinets handles or pulls 9. Make a dust collection hood that fits on 15. Make a powerful nail/screw holding all your machinery (no matter what diam- wristband as seen in the catalogs using a GB eter hose required) by using the magnets to magnet and a strip of Velcro Fold a Band Saw Blade With One Hand When you buy a band saw, the owners man- 1. Grasp the blade in one hand (gloves are 3. Rotate your hand another 180° in ual provides lots of good information about an OK idea) with the teeth facing away from the same direction as the first time, and the machine. What often is missing is how your body. Your arm is twisted in toward your push down to collapse the blade straight to handle the blade. Folding a band saw blade body 270° from its natural resting position. down toward the floor. for storage is either an injury-defying task or a Place your foot on the lower portion of the 4. As the circles meet, use your other magic trick. For those of you who aren’t magi- blade, holding it against the floor. hand to adjust the three hoops. Then sim- cians yet, we offer this illustrated how-to. 2. Rotate your hand 180° so the blade ply grasp the conveniently sized folded forms a figure eight. blade for storage. David Thiel senior editor LC 1 2 3 4 Twist your left wrist around Turn it counterclockwise Continue to turn your wrist Grasp the three rings and and grab the blade. around. counterclockwise and push adjust the loops evenly. straight down.

Relief from Awkward Fall-off When cutting a circle or an odd shape from a square piece of lumber on a band saw, you’ve Cutting line probably dealt with the annoying corners that try to pull the material out of your hands as they catch on the saw’s table. Then there’s the additional annoyance of the blade bind- MB ing in a weird curve. A few extra cuts can almost eliminate these problems. Make relief cuts in from the edge of the material right up to the edge of the finished shape. Space the cuts about an inch apart and parallel to one another. Then, as you make the cut on the shape itself, the fall-off will do just that – in small, manageable pieces and without binding the blade. Relief cuts Popular Woodworking Magazine editors Crosscut Short Pieces Without Making Missiles A provides the most accu- rate and efficient way to crosscut multi- Cut line Stop block ple workpieces to the same length on a . For safety, the “keeper” section of the workpiece is normally held firmly Remove piece against the stop block and fence, with the before cutting “offcut” unrestricted on the opposite side of the blade. However, it’s unsafe to cut short multiples this way because a grip on the keeper piece places your hand dan- gerously close to the blade. The solution is to use a stop block and spacer on what would normally be the MB “off-cut” side of the blade, as shown in the drawing. Set up the cut with a spacer stick placed between the workpiece and the properly positioned stop block. Before making each cut, simply remove the spacer stick while holding the workpiece your keeper piece) from pinching between saw, and even on a radial arm saw, or a table firmly against the saw fence opposite the blade and the stop block during the cut, saw crosscut sled. the keeper piece. This will prevent the which can cause it to be violently thrown. Bob Howard “offcut” (which, in this case is actually This technique works quite well on a miter St. Louis, Missouri

Setting Bits with a Combination Square If You Could Have Only One Finish I’ve found that a combination square is ect anyway. The blade can be positioned by a useful tool for checking the projection measuring from the end of the stock with One viewer of “The American Woodshop” of a cutter through a router base or the an accurate ruler. The broad surface of the really pinned me down recently. He asked top of a router table. Most combination stock will stand steadily on an inverted router what finish I would use if I could use only squares will still lock when the blade end while extending over the bit opening. one. It’s simple: I would dilute a satin poly- is withdrawn from the square surface of Percy Blandford urethane by 25 percent with mineral spir- the square’s stock up to about 3⁄4", which Stratford-upon-Avon, England its and wipe it on with clean cotton rags. It is often as far as you want a bit to proj- takes three applications to end up with a perfect and durable finish. This technique virtually eliminates drips and runs, plus there are no brushes to clean up. Remem- ber to always wear good finishing gloves and work in a well-ventilated area. Better yet, work outside when the temperature is between 70° and 85°, and the humid- ity is between 40 and 60 percent. Also, Measure bottom of blade always remember to dispose of the used end to base of combination rags appropriately. square with an accurate ruler Scott Phillips Piqua, Ohio MB Sanding Screen Speeds Sharpening #120-grit drywall sanding screen is placed on top of sandpaper For a chisel or plane iron to be truly sharp, its back must be lapped flat, then polished to a smooth finish. This initial lapping step tends to be the most tedious part of sharpen- Plate glass ing, and I’m always looking for a quicker way to do it. In the past, I’ve used wet/dry silicon- carbide sandpaper, but I found that it tends MB to slightly round the back of the tool. I recently discovered that a #120-grit “sanding screen” – an inexpensive product used for smoothing drywall – works great for the process. Available at home-supply stores, the screen cuts aggressively and the #400-grit sandpaper is adhered openings allow the honing “swarf” to fall to plate glass through without building up on the sur- face. I place the screen on top of a piece of next honing surface in a sequence that con- #400-grit wet/dry sandpaper that I adhered tinues up through finer grits until I have a to a sheet of plate glass using spray adhesive. finely polished surface on the tool. After lapping the tool on the screen, I use Tod Herrli the #400-grit sandpaper underneath as the Marion, Indiana

Paring With Confidence Handy Drill Storage I made a table with a plywood panel that fit I don’t know about other woodwork- Clamp guide block between the legs. After laying out the notches ers, but I really appreciate having my to workpiece at the panel’s corners, I cut them out with a , corded and cordless, at hand and . To be safe, I undercut them and had ready to use. I solved this by mount- to pare them a bit to fit. ing a ready-made “scabbard” on the After a couple of attempts at careful free- wall right over my bench where most hand paring, I realized that I needed help. So Keep chisel of the drilling takes place. Just be sure flat against I clamped a thick, square block of wood to guide block to air it out first. the panel, aligning its edge with my cut line. Albert Beale This provided a straight, flat reference sur- Thick, square Littleriver, California face for the back of the chisel, and it yielded guide block the fine, straight cut that I was after. Jim Stith Beulah, Missouri MB

Prevent Your Knobs From Spinning If you’re building a chest of drawers and using round wooden drawer pulls, here’s how to Nail prevents knob keep the knobs from turning off the retain- from spinning ing screw. First, turn the screws into the knobs as usual, then drive a tiny nail through the drawer panel from inside, so it enters the knob about 1⁄4". Now the knob won’t turn off the screw. If the drawer front is hardwood, MB be sure to drill a pilot hole for the nail. You can also use small wood screws so they may be removed at a later date. Lane Olinghouse Everett, Washington LC Add Accuracy to a Miter Gauge Sacrificial fence on miter gauge Attach a 3⁄4" x 21⁄2" x 28" board to your miter gauge (not an original idea), then put a piece of masking tape on the table saw in front of the blade insert. Then cut partway into a board using the miter hold down. Shut the LC saw off and slowly pull the board back until the board is half covering the tape. Mark a thin line on the tape to indicate both sides of the kerf. Now when you want to make an accurate cut, line up the mark on the workpiece with the mark on the tape. Change the tape that’s stuck to the table Tape Marks when you change the blades. Bernard H. Derbyshire Newtown, Connecticut

Silencing the Drums of Waste Perfectly Mated Edge Joints To get the most out of my sanding drums, I No matter how often you square up the face is away from the fence. When you built a box for my drill press with six inter- fence on your jointer, that perfect 90° test the glue joint – even if the fence is off changeable inserts that accommodate sand- angle can still manage to elude you. And by a fraction of a degree – the edges will ing drums from 1" to 3". There’s also a hole in when you’re using that jointer pass for be complementary angles to one another the side of the box for my shop vacuum. By an edge glue-up, perfect is preferred. We and form a perfect glue joint. lowering the sanding drum into the box, I get use a method in the Popular Woodwork- If you’re gluing up more than two a fresh section of unused sanding surface. ing shop that guarantees a perfect 90° pieces to form a panel, alternate your Philip R. Beyers angle each time. board orientation against the fence and Redford, Michigan First match your boards for best appear- you’ll get a panel with perfect joints that ance and mark the faces and joints. Run is as flat as can be. one piece with the face against the fence, Popular Woodworking editors then flip the mating piece so that the good Face A away from fence

Mating edge Replaceable insert Rabbeted insert area Sanding drum

Dust Mating edge collection Face B port against fence

90° LC LC

Existing drill press table Gun Sight for Blind Nailing I often had trouble correctly placing an air- driven nail when the lower piece was hidden by the upper, such as attaching the roof of a birdhouse or a shelf on the inside of a cabi- net. If I missed the edge of the inside piece, it could ruin the work. I solved this by creat- ing this jig: Two equal-length pieces of thin wood separated by a wood block, creating an opening large enough for the upper piece of wood. When I slide the jig over the upper piece, the bottom part of the jig is stopped by the lower piece and the upper part shows where to place the nail. Marc Colten Alpharetta, Georgia JM

Aluminum Angle Bracket Quick-release Table Saw Guard Keeps Crosscuts Accurate Having become tired of bolting and I replaced the original nuts with plastic The extended wood fence screwed to my unbolting the blade guard of my table insert lock-nuts. For the inside mount I table saw’s miter gauge would sometimes flex, saw, I came up with a simple idea that had to use a slightly longer bolt in order making it difficult to keep pieces perpendic- allows for quick removal and installa- to have enough thread exposure past ular to the saw blade during crosscuts. The tion of the guard with no tools. the mounting flange. This allowed me situation became even worse after I cut a All I did was place a strong compres- to install the plastic insert lock-nut. tall kerf in the fence one day. To solve this, I sion spring on the outside of the two Tighten the nut and bolt together added a piece of aluminum angle to the back- mounting flat washers. This compresses to achieve a tight grip on the guard. side of the extended wood fence. the washers together and they squeeze To remove the guard, just remove the My fence is made by laminating two pieces the mounting flange of the guard, keep- throat plate and lift out the blade guard. of 1⁄2" Baltic plywood, rounding over ing it in place. I sandwiched the convex To install the guard again, remove the the top back edge with an 1⁄8" roundover bit, side of the flat washers together. This pro- insert, use the guard to wedge open the hacksawing a 1" aluminum angle bracket vides a slight gap to allow the blade guard washers and set it in place. PWM to the same length, then simply screwing to pry the washers apart when installing F. Chrysanthos the angle to the fence. Now the fence never the guard. To make sure it stays together, Etna, California flexes, regardless of saw kerfs. Make sure that your fence is tall enough so that the bottom of the aluminum angle is higher than the top Blade guard mounting flange of your saw blade at its highest setting. Bill Law Cincinnati, Ohio Aluminum angle Convex side of flat washers bracket Plastic insert lock-nut

Bolt JM Table saw mounting flange Strong spring Flat JM J u s t D o n ’ t T e l l The Missus

For better or worse, one of the ripest areas for workshop tricks is the spouse’s domain.

fter reading hundreds of tricks from the There were lots of tricks that used garden hose, by Christopher 144 issues we’ve published during the last pegboard, wire hangers, rubber bands and clothes- A 25 years, I started to notice some common pins. But my favorite tricks, by far, were the ones Schwarz themes that were repeated time and again. that went something like this: “Sneak into the kitchen/bedroom/bathroom/boudoir and borrow Contact Christopher at the such-and-such to perform this McGuyver-like 513-531-2690 ext. 11407 or feat. But whatever you do, don’t tell your spouse [email protected] what you’ve done.” So let us now pity the poor spouses that have had to endure the following assaults on their per- sonal space and personal care products: • You’ll Have to Makeup After This One: R.B. Himes – a consummate creator of tricks – suggests borrowing a mascara brush to apply glue to a deep mortise or any hard-to-reach spot. He also recom- mends (perhaps from personal experience) that you don’t “borrow it without asking your wife.” • Atomic-age Woodworking: Several tricks recommend using the microwave to improve your woodworking. Penny Hermsdorfer insists you can revive dried-out wood putty by placing it on a paper plate, moistening it with a few drops of water and nuking it for 15 to 20 seconds. And Michael J. Bur- ton says you can bend small pieces of wood by first wrapping them in a wet rag and then microwav- ing them on “high” for a minute. We once read in a woodworking magazine (not ours, incidentally) that you could shrink biscuits that were too thick by microwaving them. We tried this in the kitchen of our publishing company one morning. Let’s just say the resulting smell got us banned from the lunchroom. And, to make mat- ters worse, the trick didn’t work. The biscuits just got stinky and charred. IllustrationsLewisPat by And finally, when your old microwave has reheated its last Lean Cuisine, Charles Hunsecker says you should take it apart and dig out the 3" disc magnet located above the unit’s Mag tubes. He sticks the magnets to the side of his table saw boards are impossible for woodworkers to resist. and sticks his saw’s wrenches to that. Yup, we Joe DeVoe uses them to buff out defects in his film really published that one in 1995. finishes and to remove spilled cyanoacrylate glue • You Better Come Clean: Household from finished objects. Austin Schmidt uses them on cleansing products are not safe from the crafty bare wood, usually to sand off burrs on the under- woodworker, either. Lane Olinghouse cleans up side of his scrollsawn pieces. his hands after a dirty day in the shop using a cus- • What’s Cooking in the Kitchen? Keith Mealy tom blend of liquid soap and baking soda. This, he uses coffee filters to strain his finishes (not in the claims, leaves his hands “smelling fresh.” kitchen sink we hope). Norman Stewart converts The late Don Kinnaman – another frequent rolling pins into outfeed stands for his . He trickster – used a brush designed for scrubbing cuts the pins into 1" lengths and threads them onto floors to make a sanding block that’s handy for dowels. And George Baharian grinds the V-shaped lathe work. Not only do you need a scrub brush for tip of bottle and can openers into scrapers. this one, but you also need two mousetraps (always • The Pantyhose Patrol: Perhaps proving that the mark of a quality trick). Glue and screw the woodworkers will go to any lengths to save a few dol- two mousetraps to the handle of the brush and use lars, we’re always amazed at the tricks that involve the mousetraps to secure the sandpaper sheet as pantyhose. One of the most common tricks we see it’s wrapped over the bristles. is to use discarded (yeah, right) pantyhose to strain John E. Leeds says you can take the same wooden lumps out of finishes or glue. scrub brushes and cut them up into smaller brushes But it doesn’t end there. Trickster Howard that are good for applying glue. His solution is so Moody uses pantyhose to find small objects he’s “cost-effective” (read: “cheap”) that he uses them dropped. Here’s how: Stretch and secure some once and tosses them away. pantyhose over the nozzle of your shop vacuum • A Sip of Sap: OK, someone needs to ban Lane and turn the vacuum on. Suck up the area with Olinghouse from the kitchen (see the baking soda the small part. The pantyhose will catch the part trick above). Lane also recommends you use drink- instead of sending it into the vacuum. ing straws to thread doorbell wire through studs. Chuck Kubin must live in the same neighbor- Drill a hole in the stud that’s the diameter of your hood as Howard. He uses pantyhose as a prefil- drinking straw. Now you can pass the wire through ter for his shop vacuum. He disassembles his shop without it getting caught on the rough wooden vacuum and stretches the pantyhose over the fil- walls of the stud. On second thought Lane, that ter, ties it off and secures it. This, he insists, keeps trick isn’t too bad; you can stay in the kitchen. “larger particles from clogging the filter.” • How to Ruin an Anniversary Gift: This trick is not for the faint of heart. Howard Moody says It Doesn’t Work Both Ways you can make small-scale clamps using the type It’s also a good idea to keep woodworkers from of earrings that use a threaded screw to secure the bringing their tools into the kitchen to solve bauble to the ear lobe. While I’m sure this might cooking problems. A few years ago, a particularly work, I wouldn’t recommend you actually decide intrepid reader wrote to us about his brilliant idea which pieces of jewelry in the jewelry box have for using a router to mix up some cake batter in been discarded. You might just wake up one morn- record time. Before we tell you the end of the story, ing and find your $200 Starrett straightedge prop- here’s a little nugget of information that’s impor- ping up tomato plants in the garden. tant to know: The typical kitchen mixer operates • Stealing Storage Space: Joy Boyd says that between 150 and 550 rpm to knead bread at the lipped plastic dishpans can be transformed into low end or whip cream at the high end. quick drawers under a benchtop with the addition Routers, on the other hand, spin at a whopping of L-shaped cleats. Howard Moody (at it again) 8,000 to 24,000 rpm. swipes empty seasoning bottles to hold Our best guess is that what happened to that powders: silicon carbide, pumice and rottenstone. reader in the end was there was a trick published And Dana Batory uses old silverware chests to cra- somewhere in a cooking magazine (they love tricks, dle auger bits in velvet. too) dealing with how to best clean cake batter off • The Fingernail Fix: It seems that emery kitchen ceilings. PWM U p g r a d e Y o u r Workbench

10 ways to make your bench indispensable.

1 by Christopher Schwarz 4 Comments or questions? Contact 7 Chris at 513-531-2690 ext. 11407 or [email protected].

10

6

2

AFTER

BEFORE hate to say it, but no matter how much time and money you spent building or buying your work- Ibench, it’s probably not as useful as it should be. Like adjustments to a new table saw or handplane, there are a number of things everyone should do to 8 tune up their bench. Also, there are several simple improvements that will make your bench perform feats you didn’t think were possible. Most of these upgrades are quick and inexpen- sive. All of them will make your woodworking eas- 9 ier, more accurate or just plain tidier.

1 Improve Your Topography Flattening your benchtop regularly is like changing the oil in your car. It’s a routine step that will save you headaches down the road. A flat top is essen- tial to accurate work for three reasons:

3 • When planing, sanding or routing a board, you want your work to rest firmly against your bench; a flat benchtop helps keep your work in place. • A flat top will divine whether your workpieces are cupped or bowed. If you ever want to remove the cup or twist from a door panel – a common malady – you must have a flat benchtop to know when your panel is finally flat. • A flat top guides you as you assemble your proj- ects. If you want your latest table, chair or cabinet to not rock, you have to make the legs or base all in the same plane. A flat bench will quickly point out your problems and the best solution. So how do you flatten a benchtop? The sim- plest way is to run it through a big drum sander, which you can find in mid-sized cabinet shops. A couple woodworkers I know have paid about $50 for the privilege. The only downside is that you’ll have some sanding grit embedded in your bench when it’s all over, which can scratch your work in the future. So I don’t recommend this. There is a way to flatten your bench at home by planing it with a router – once you build a some- what complex carriage system that guides and

Photos by Al ParrishAl Photosby holds the tool (no thanks). My way is faster. I flatten my benches with a No. 5 jack plane, an old No. 7 and a cou- ple of sticks. The sticks are two pieces of plywood that measure 3⁄4" x 2" x 36". Traditionally called winding sticks, these will quickly determine if your Painted bench is flat and where it’s out of whack. First place one of the winding sticks across one end of the bench. Then lay the other stick across the bench at various places along the length of Unpainted the top. Crouch down so your eye is level with the winding stick sticks to see if their top edges are parallel. If they are, that area is flat. If they’re not, you’ll see where there are high spots. Winding sticks are the key to making sure a benchtop or tabletop is indeed flat. Check the Old-time winding sticks were made using a sta- top by moving the light-colored stick to different positions across the length of the bench ble wood, such as , and were sometimes and comparing the top edge of each stick. inlaid with and holly on the edges (a black wood and a white wood) so you could easily see the Most of the hard work when flat- difference. I prefer plywood because it’s dimension- tening your top is handled by ally stable and cheap. If you need contrast between the No. 5 jack plane, which can your sticks, I highly recommend “ebony in a can” take down high spots quickly. (black spray paint). My bench always seems to dish Mark all the high spots directly on your bench in the middle (similar to a water- stone), so I begin by taking down and start shaving them down with your jack plane. the sides. Continually check your work with your winding sticks. (For more on these sticks, see “Keep Your Winding Sticks in Focus” below.)

Keep Your Winding Sticks in Focus When using winding sticks, one of the difficulties is trying to keep both sticks in focus when they are 6' away from each other. If one of the sticks is blurry it’s difficult to tell if they are in line with each other. The solution comes from the world of photogra- phy. Take a piece of thin cardboard – I use the stuff from the back of a notebook. With your brad awl, punch a small hole (1⁄32" or so) in the center of the cardboard. Crouch down in front of your winding sticks and look at them through the hole. Both sticks should now be in focus. In a camera, when you close the aperture (also called the F-stop), more of the picture is in focus. The same principle works with your eye. If you close the aperture that light passes through, more of what you A No. 7 jointer plane’s key asset is its length. Because of its length, the plane see will be in focus. rides over the low spots and shears the As a practical matter when doing this, check both high spots. Begin by working diagonally; ends of the sticks by moving your eye left to right, not don’t worry about tear-out (above). When your head. It’s easier to get an accurate reading from the top is flat from your diagonal passes, your sticks this way. plane directly with the grain (left). When the top is reasonably flat, fetch your No. 7 plane. First plane the top diagonally, moving from corner to corner. Then come back diagonally the other way. Do this a couple times until you’re tak- ing shavings at all points across the top. Finally, plane the length of the bench. Start at the front edge and move to the back edge. When it looks good, check it with the winding sticks.

2 A Deadman Lends a Hand One of the trickiest operations is working on the narrow edge of a board or door. Securing the work is the No. 1 problem. The traditional solution is what’s called a sliding deadman. I installed the one shown at right in an afternoon and now I wonder While flattening the top is the how I ever got by without it. most important upgrade, a Because the deadman slides across the front of in the grooves. You can download a construction close second is the sliding dead- the bench, you can accommodate all lengths of drawing for this project from our web site by vis- man. This clever bit of engineer- work. And because the ledge can be adjusted up and iting popwood.com. Click on “Magazine Extras” ing will allow you to immobilize down, you can hold narrow boards or even entry- to get to the drawing. doors easily. way doors. With the help of your face vise, you can immobilize almost anything with this rig. 3 Add a Leg or Bench Jack I added the deadman by screwing two rails to While I consider the sliding deadman to be the my bench that each have a groove milled in one cat’s meow, there are simpler ways to support over- long edge. The deadman itself has a slightly under- sized work at your bench. sized tenon on each end that allows it to easily slide If you do a lot of work on big doors, a leg jack is probably the best bet for you. Basically you bore 3⁄4"-diameter holes every 4" up the front leg of your bench that’s opposite your face vise. (For example, if your vise is on the left side of your bench, bore the holes in the right leg.) the holes (see the next section on dog holes for directions) then Leg jack insert a 3⁄4"-diameter dowel in one of the holes. You’re in business.

Bench jack

A leg jack is great for clamping long work, and it takes only about 20 minutes to add to your bench. There are This simple bench jack excels at clamping boards that are 8" wide or narrower. Like the leg fancier ways to do this, but none is more effective. jack, this is a quick upgrade. Wonder dogs

The disadvantage of this jack is that it supports only long work. To hold shorter work, you need to add a second kind of simple jack to your work- bench – a bench jack. For your bench jack, you’ll bore the 3⁄4"-diame- ter holes across the front edge of your workbench – every 4" or so should be sufficient. Make the holes about 2" deep and chamfer their rims. Bench dogs Next get a 2" length of 3⁄4" dowel. To create a ledge for the board to rest on, your best bet is to buy an L-shaped piece of steel from your local hardware store. This $1 item usually has screw holes already bored in it and is used for reinforcing corners. If you can’t afford a tail vise, these Wonder dogs make many clamping chores easier. With Screw this L-shaped steel to the end of the dowel two Wonder dogs and bench dogs you can clamp odd-shaped material. (see photo on page 57). This jig now will allow you to hold narrow boards of almost any length in place so you can work on the edge.

4 Add Bench Dogs A good system of bench dogs and dog holes makes routine operations easier and impossible tasks a cake walk. And retrofitting a bench with round dog holes is quick and simple. I like to have at least two rows of dog holes run- ning down my benchtop that are spaced 4" apart. On some benches, I’ve had the dog holes line up with the dogs on my tail vise so that I can clamp things between my tail vise and any dog hole on the bench. But even if you don’t have a tail vise you can unlock the power of the dog hole with a prod- uct called the Wonder Dog from Lee Valley (see the Supplies box at the end of this article). The Wonder Dog is essentially a mini-vise that slips into any 3⁄4"-diameter dog hole. It allows you This gizmo works like a primi- to apply pressure in any direction, which is great tive doweling jig. Mark lines on your top where you want your for clamping round or other irregularly shaped dog holes. Clamp this jig to pieces for sanding or planing. your bench and line it up with To drill the dog holes, your best bet is to make a your marks. Drill away using a jig like the one shown at left. Also grab a 3⁄4" auger corded drill. Chances are you’ll bit and a corded drill. cook a cordless drill. Clamp the jig to your bench and drill the hole all the way through the benchtop. Use a slow speed. After you drill each hole you need to chamfer the rim to keep from ripping up your benchtop when you pull out a dog. The easiest way to do this is with a plunge router. So chuck a 45° chamfer bit that has a 3⁄4" bear- Chamfering your dog holes ing on its end in your plunge router. Insert the prevents you from tearing out bearing into the dog hole, turn on the router and the grain when you remove a plunge straight down, making a 3⁄8"-deep cut, as stubborn dog. shown at left. Washer Wing nut

If you use a hand plane, you Bolt Bench should invest $6 and an hour of your time to make this plan- ing stop. The key to the planing stop is the hardware. At left you can see how the 1⁄4" x 20 screw- in insert nut, 11⁄4"-long bolt, A tail vise, such as this Veritas, is a luxury we all deserve. Plywood stop Since adding one to my bench at home, shown here, I’ve 1⁄4" x 20 wing nut and 1⁄4"-hole found myself using it far more than a face vise. washer are assembled.

5 Add a Tail Vise 6 Add a Planing and Sanding Stop If you’ve got just one vise it’s almost always on the Many woodworkers clamp their work down when front (sometimes called the face) of your bench. they don’t have to. In many cases, gravity and the A tail vise (located on the end of the bench) is an force of your tool will do the job. extremely useful upgrade. The retractable metal A planing stop is essentially a lip on the end dog on most allows you to clamp really long of your bench that can be adjusted up and down. workpieces to your bench between the vise’s dog When you’re going to plane your work you merely and a dog in the benchtop. It’s also just plain handy put the wood against the stop and plane into it. to have a second vise. The force of gravity plus the direction you are push- When choosing a tail vise, you have three good ing your tool holds the work in place. options, as described here: The same concept works for belt sanding. Just • You can buy a traditional quick-release metal remember which way the sander spins. The front of vise with a retractable dog for between $65 and the sander should point away from the stop. Other- $150. It’s easy to install. wise the machine will shoot your work across the • You can buy a front-vise screw kit that you room, easily puncturing any Styrofoam cooler in just add wooden jaws to. This option can be a bit its path. Don’t ask me how I know this. cheaper (about $70) but requires more labor. The The most versatile planing stop is a piece of 1⁄2"- advantage to this vise is that you can add dog holes thick plywood that is as long as your bench is wide. to the top or front edge of the wooden vise faces. A couple wing nuts, bolts and washers allow you • You can buy an expensive specialty vise that to position and fix the stop up and down, depend- will do things your face vise won’t. The Veritas ing on the thickness of your workpiece. twin-screw vise ($169) gives you a huge tail vise The hardware is readily available at any home that can be used for clamping or holding almost center. The part that is driven into the bench is sold any flat work. Or you can buy a patternmaker’s as a 1⁄4" x 20 screw-in insert nut. To install it, first vise ($220 - $550) that excels at holding irregular drill a 3⁄8"-diameter hole in the end of your bench. objects at any angle. Both of these vises are pretty Coat the hole with epoxy and drive the insert in expensive, but worth it. slowly using a (usually metric) hex wrench. Then thread a 11⁄4"-long bolt through a 1⁄4" x 20 wing 7 Add a Holdfast nut and a 1⁄4"-hole washer. Sometimes you need to hold a board on your bench The stop itself is made from plywood with two so you can work on its end, such as when you’re stopped slots that measure 5⁄16"-wide. Make the chiseling out the waste between a set of hand-cut slots long enough so your stop can go below the dovetails. Nothing is as quick or efficient at this work surface of your bench. job as a quality holdfast. This stop allows you to plane wood of almost A holdfast is essentially a hook that drops into a any thickness with ease. Unscrew the wing nuts, hole in your bench. You tighten it with a screw or rap adjust the stop where you want it and tighten the it with a mallet to lock the work to your bench. wing nuts to hold the stop in place. There are three major types that are worth pur- chasing. The Veritas Hold-down is the Cadillac of the bunch ($52.50). It drops easily into any 3⁄4" hole in your bench and is tightened by turning a screw on the top. I’ve used this holdfast every day for five years and it has never let me down. The second option is more economical. Glass- filled nylon holdfasts are cheap ($11.50 a pair from Lee Valley Tools), but you have to reach under your benchtop to operate them. The third type is a metal hook. Rap the top to tighten it and rap the back to release it. All of the versions I’ve seen in catalogs are cast metal and don’t work well for me. My fellow hand-tool enthusiasts recommend forged holdfasts, which are handmade by blacksmiths. It’s worth asking around in your area if there’s a blacksmith who The Veritas Hold-down is a joy. It’s well-engineered and holds the work with astonishing will do this work for you. Expect to pay about $30, pressure. I won’t cut dovetails without it. maybe a bit more.

8 Add a Sharpening and Finishing Tray While some people might accuse me of just being fastidious, there are many sound reasons to pro- tect your workbench from sharpening slurry and finishing materials. Sharpening slurry is made up of bits of metal and abrasive that will dig into your workbench and later get embedded in your work. And finish- ing materials (dyes, stains and glazes in particu- lar) can rub off on your work for weeks or years if they spill on your bench. That’s why a tray with a low lip is ideal for typi- cal sharpening and finishing jobs. I make my trays from inexpensive plywood with the lip made of 3⁄4"-thick scrap pieces – plus glue and screws. The best thing about the tray is that it drops into two dog holes, so there’s no need to clamp it in place. This makes the tray especially good for sharpen- ing because the tray stays put as you work. Never sharpen or finish on your bench without protecting the top. The slurry and stain will dig into your work and sully the wood you place on top of it. This simple tray drops into the 9 A Top Just for Gluing dog holes in the top to contain your mess. Not all of us have the luxury of a separate bench for assembly, so I end up constructing most of my furniture right on my bench. Getting glue on the bench is a big problem most Vise block woodworkers face. Yellow glue, which is mostly water, isn’t good for your top because you’re intro- Dowel ducing moisture in places where it has spilled. And dried glue can easily mar your work. So I have a removable top that fits right over my benchtop for gluing chores. It’s made using 1⁄8"- thick hardboard (available at your local home cen- ter store) and four cleats that keep it securely in Vise blocks improve the holding power of any vise. The dowel prevents the block from drop- ping to the floor when you open the vise. place on the benchtop. Why not use newspaper or a blanket? Well, newspaper makes a lot of waste, and is slow and The jaw bends a little bit – especially with wooden Supplies messy. Blankets, if not perfectly flat on your bench, vises – and this weakens its grip on the work. Bench dogs and can actually introduce a little twist in your glue-ups. The solution is so simple I’m surprised that I Wonder Dogs If you don’t want to make a hardboard glue-up top, don’t see this more often. Put a block of equal thick- Lee Valley Tools the next-best option is to buy a thin plastic table- ness on the other side of the jaw and your problem is 800-871-8158 or leevalley.com cloth, available at many home-good stores. solved. I have a set of “vise blocks” in the most com- • Veritas round bench dogs 1 5 3 7 mon thicknesses I deal with ( ⁄2", ⁄8", ⁄4", ⁄8" and #05G04.02, $18.50/pair 3⁄ 10 Vise Blocks Add Bite 1"). To help me out even more, I drive a 4" dowel • Veritas Wonder Dog One of the biggest complaints woodworkers have through each block to prevent it from dropping #05G10.01, $24.50 with their vise is that it doesn’t hold the work very when I release the vise. This quick and simple fix Bench vises well when they clamp using only one side of the jaw. will save you a lot of future frustration. PWM Lee Valley Tools 800-871-8158 or leevalley.com • Large front vise kit #70G08.02, $69.50 • Quick-release vise #10G04.12, $99 • Veritas Tucker patternmaker’s vise, #05G09.01, $549 • Veritas twin-screw vise #05G12.21, $169 Woodcraft 800-225-1153 or woodcraft.com • Economy 9" quick-release vise, #129850, $64.99 • Patternmaker’s vise #128748, $219.99 Holdfasts Lee Valley Tools 800-871-8158 or leevalley.com Glue-up top • Veritas hold-down #05G14.01, $54.50 Cleats • Inexpensive hold-down clamps, #16F02.10, $11.50/pair You can find hardboard at your Until I can afford my 3,000-square-foot dream shop, I have to assemble projects on my bench. This cover keeps my local home center. benchtop like new. Make sure the cleats that keep the top in place don’t interfere with your vises. Prices as of 2005. A new angle on Compound Miters

Not a joint you need to make every day, but a joint you should make without taking all day. by Nick Engler ell, this is embarrassing, I thought to Figuring the Angles myself. Editors from Popular Woodwork- When cutting a compound miter on a table saw, ing had made a pilgrimage to my shop you must set both the miter angle of the miter gauge Nick Engler is the author of more W to take photos of me making compound miter cuts. and the bevel angle of the saw blade. These angles than 50 books on woodworking, plus And I couldn’t remember how to do it. depend on two things – the number of sides in your countless articles and project plans. “Wait just a minute,” I told them. “I’ve got a book frame and the slope of the assembled frame. The right here that tells what to do.” I reached for a copy slope, by the way, is usually measured from horizon- of “Nick Engler’s Woodworking Wisdom” and read tal, with the frame resting on a flat surface. my own instructions on the technique. For every frame and slope, there is just one pair Making compound miters – a that of angles, and these angles must be precise or the is both angled and beveled – is one of those spe- miter joints will gap. To find these angles, either cial techniques that you need only once in a while. use some simple equations or refer to a compound When you join the frame members, the boards have miter chart. I prefer the chart method myself, so I’ve a slope so the assembled shape tapers from top to included one with this article that lists angle pairs bottom. You can employ compound miters in doz- for lots of frame assemblies and slopes. But just in ens of projects. Trouble is, it’s not a technique you’re case you don’t see the angle settings you need for likely to use every day. In between the times when your particular project, here are the equations: you need it, you’re likely to forget some of the finer Miter Angle (for all joints): points. So this is a “refresher course” in compound tanMA = 1 ÷ [cosS x tan(360 ÷ 2N)] mitering, for myself and all of you. Bevel Angle (for mitered joints): tanBA = cosMA x tanS Bevel Angle (for butted joints): tanBA = cosMA ÷ tanS Where: MA is the miter angle; BA is the blade angle; S is the slope; N is the number of sides. If you’re mathematically challenged, don’t despair at the mention of tangents and cosines. You can work a trig equation by pounding on a scien- tific calculator. These have special buttons marked sin, cos and tan to simplify the functions. To check your setup, For example, if you want to figure the miter cut enough small angle for a four-sided mitered frame with a 30° pieces to make a slope, find the cosine of the slope by entering “30” complete frame. Clamp a stop to the on the keypad and then pushing the “cos” button. miter gauge exten- The result should be 0.8660. Next, multiply the sion so each piece is number of sides (4) by 2 and divide the result (8) identical. into 360 — the result is 45. Find the tangent of 45 A new angle on Compound Miters Photos by Al ParrishAl Photosby Miter gauge extensions First cut Flip board edge for edge between cuts

Miter gauge angled enough wood for you to hold it safely against the extension, move the miter gauge to the other slot IllustrationFavoriteMaryJane by on the opposite side of the saw blade. You won’t need to change the settings. Blade tilted Adjusting the Angles Second cut One-setup Before cutting good wood, it’s always a good idea compound miters to make some test cuts to check your setup. I cut – that’s right, just push the “tan” button on the cal- enough small identical pieces to make one frame, culator. Multiply the result (1) times 0.8660, then then assemble it with masking tape to check the divide that number (0.8660) into 1. The answer joints. If the settings are off, one of the compound is 1.1547 – that’s the tangent of the miter angle. miter joints will gap. When the gap opens to the To convert this tangent into an angle, press the outside of the frame, increase the bevel angle. “INV” (or “inverse”) calculator button, then the When it opens to the inside, decrease the angle. “tan” button. Your miter angle is 49.1074°. This may change the slope very slightly, but usu- Always figure the miter angle first, then the ally not enough to notice. bevel angle. You need the cosine of the miter angle to be able to calculate the bevel. Note that the bevel Assembling the Frame angle equation is slightly different depending on The best clamps I’ve found for gluing up compound whether you want to make the joint mitered (with miters are band clamps. If the slope is fairly steep, the seam at the corner) or butted (with the seam wrap the band clamps around the corners of the visible on one side). frame as you would when assembling a box. As the On the chart, I’ve rounded the angles to two slope becomes shallower, however, the clamps tend decimal places. No table saw can measure to a to slip up the slope. When this is the case, wrap the hundredths of a degree, let alone the eight deci- clamps around the edges of the assembled frame mal places you’re likely to get from your calcula- members, like ribbons on a present. Don’t over- tor. But this will help you “guesstimate” where to tighten the clamps – the frame members will bow. set the pointer between two degree marks on the If you can’t get enough clamping pressure without miter-gauge scale and the blade-tilt scale. bowing, use additional band clamps and position them as close to the corners as possible. Control Cutting the Angles the bowing by wedging a scrap between opposite Now for the easy part – and the part I always forget. members to act as a temporary . Once you’ve set the miter and bevel angles, there’s a In some compound miter assemblies with mul- nifty trick for cutting both the right and left miters tiple sides, I’ve seen members put together in sev- on the frame members without having to change eral steps. First assemble two halves, then sand settings. It’s all in how you flip the board. I prefer to cut compound miters with a long miter gauge extension (a board fastened to the face of the miter gauge) that extends well past the blade. This not only provides better support for your workpiece, it gives you a surface to fasten a stop to so you can make precise duplicate parts. To make the first cut, place the board against the miter-gauge extension and feed it into the blade, cutting through both the board and the exten- sion. Flip the board edge for edge, so another edge rests against the extension and another face rests against the table. The board ends should remain Tape the pieces together at the corners and inspect the oriented as they were. Position the board for the joints. If you find any gaps, adjust the bevel angle in tiny second cut and feed it into the blade. If the sec- increments and cut new test pieces until the gaps disap- ond cut is near the end of the board, and there isn’t pear at all the corners. or joint the adjoining surfaces of the halves for To calculate compound miter angles, you need a scientific a tight fit, and glue the halves together. This is calculator (about $9 at most office supply stores) with SIN, commonly done when gluing up blanks for lathe COS, TAN and INV buttons. On some calculators, the INV turnings where the strength of the glue joints are button is labeled FUNC or the key is blank. If you have a com- puter and use Microsoft Excel software, you can download a critical and even the tiniest gap in a joint could simple Compound Miter Calculator that I wrote from spell disaster when the stock is spinning at incred- popwood.com. Click on the “Magazine Extras” link. ibly high speeds. PWM

Compound Miter Chart for the Table Saw

4 sides butted 4 sides mitered 5 sides mitered 6 sides mitered 8 sides mitered Slope Miter Bevel Miter Bevel Miter Bevel Miter Bevel Miter Bevel angle angle angle angle angle angle angle angle angle angle 0 45 90 54 90 60 90 67.5 90 5 45.11 3.53 54.1 2.94 60.09 2.5 67.58 1.91 10 45.44 7.05 54.42 5.86 60.38 4.98 67.81 3.81 15 45.99 10.55 54.94 8.75 60.85 7.44 68.19 5.69 20 46.78 14 55.68 11.6 61.52 9.85 68.73 7.52 25 47.81 17.39 56.64 14.38 62.38 12.2 69.42 9.31 30 49.11 48.59 49.11 20.7 57.82 17.09 63.43 14.48 70.27 11.03 35 50.68 42.14 50.68 23.93 59.24 19.7 64.69 16.67 71.26 12.68 40 52.55 35.93 52.55 27.03 60.9 22.2 66.14 18.75 72.4 14.24 45 54.74 30 54.74 30 62.81 24.56 67.79 20.71 73.68 15.7 50 57.27 24.4 57.27 32.8 64.97 26.76 69.64 22.52 75.09 17.05 55 60.16 19.21 60.16 35.4 67.38 28.78 71.68 24.18 76.64 18.26 60 63.43 14.48 63.43 37.77 70.04 30.59 73.9 25.66 78.3 19.35 65 67.09 10.29 67.09 39.86 72.93 32.19 76.29 26.94 80.07 20.29 70 71.12 6.72 71.12 41.64 76.05 33.52 78.83 28.02 81.94 21.07 75 75.49 3.84 75.49 43.08 79.35 34.59 81.5 28.88 83.88 21.7 80 80.15 1.73 80.15 44.13 82.81 35.37 84.27 29.52 85.89 22.12 85 85.02 0.44 85.02 44.78 86.38 35.82 87.12 29.87 87.93 22.43 90 90 0 90 45 90 36 90 30 90 22.5 10 sides butted 12 sides mitered 16 sides mitered 20 sides mitered 24 sides mitered Slope Miter Bevel Miter Bevel Miter Bevel Miter Bevel Miter Bevel angle angle angle angle angle angle angle angle angle angle 0 72 90 75 90 78.75 90 81 90 82.5 90 5 72.06 1.54 75.05 1.29 78.79 0.97 81.03 0.78 82.53 0.65 10 72.26 3.08 75.22 2.58 78.92 1.94 81.13 1.56 82.61 1.3 15 72.58 4.59 75.49 3.84 79.12 2.9 81.3 2.32 82.75 1.94 20 73.02 6.07 75.87 5.08 79.41 3.83 81.53 3.07 82.95 2.56 25 73.59 7.5 76.35 6.28 79.78 4.73 81.83 3.79 83.2 3.16 30 74.28 8.89 76.94 7.43 80.23 5.6 82.19 4.49 83.5 3.74 35 75.1 10.21 77.62 8.54 80.75 6.42 82.61 5.15 83.84 4.3 40 76.02 11.46 78.4 9.58 81.34 7.2 83.08 5.77 84.24 4.81 45 77.06 12.62 79.27 10.55 81.99 7.93 83.61 6.35 84.68 5.3 50 78.2 13.7 80.23 11.43 82.71 8.6 84.19 6.88 85.16 5.74 55 79.44 14.67 81.26 12.24 83.49 9.2 84.81 7.36 85.68 6.14 60 80.77 15.53 82.37 12.95 84.32 9.73 85.47 7.79 86.23 6.5 65 82.18 16.27 83.54 13.56 85.19 10.19 86.17 8.15 86.82 6.78 70 83.66 16.88 84.76 14.09 86.11 10.56 86.9 8.45 87.42 7.05 75 85.19 17.38 86.03 14.49 87.05 10.87 87.65 8.7 88.05 7.24 80 86.77 17.72 87.34 14.75 88.02 11.09 88.42 8.89 88.69 7.39 85 88.38 17.91 88.66 14.97 89.01 11.17 89.21 8.96 89.34 7.5 90 90 18 90 15 90 11.25 90 9 90 7.5 Note: The slope is measured from horizontal, with the assembly resting on a bench or work surface. S e c r e t s t o a Silky Smooth Finish

How to get a flawless surface in record time.

by Steve Shanesy

Comments or questions? Contact Steve at 513-531-2690 ext. 11238 or [email protected].

To prove just how effective wet- sanding is at giving your project a glass-like sheen, we sprinkled a handful of sawdust on some wet shellac. After rubbing it out, no one in the office could tell that the finish had ever been boogered up. See the story “Out of the Rough” to see how we did this. earning to finish your finish, more often called “rubbing out,” will do more to Out of the Rough improve the quality of your woodworking First, let the finish dry completely L and don’t be tempted to try to fish than anything else, period. (OK, that assumes you already know how to glue parts together so they out that errant hair, fly or dust speck. You’ll only create a bigger prob- don’t come apart.) It’s the secret to a silky, satiny, lem. Next, lightly sand the finish in even mirror-like finish, and it will take away all your the dust-strewn area with #220-grit stress about dust, lint, hair, even assorted bugs set- paper, dry. Try to get the surface as tling into that wet coat you just carefully applied. In level as possible to the surround- fact, you won’t even have to worry as much about ing finish. Next, apply another coat applying your finish quite so carefully. of finish and let it dry completely. Best of all, it’s dang easy. Proceed with sanding, wetsanding and presto, you’ll wonder where the Basically, I’m talking about rubbing out your sawdust went (as shown below). finish. But first I want to assure you that I won’t ask you to spend hours massaging your project with #0000 steel wool. And I’m not going to ask you to buy pumice, rottenstone, or rubbing and polish- ing compounds. You’ll only need those products if you’re going for the ultimate high-polish mirror finish, which I do with about the same regularity as a visit from Halley’s Comet. No, all I want you to do is hand sand your finish (not the bare wood, but the , shellac, lac- quer or polyurethane top coat) with two or three different grit . The process is so sim- ple, you won’t want to tell anyone how you did it Here’s a close-up of the accumulated dust to show just how bad a problem it is. because the fantastic results look like it ought to require a lot more work.

What Finishes Rub Best The method I’ll describe here will work on any common film-forming finish. It is easiest and will produce the best results on lacquer and shellac, but you’ll still get great results with varnish (including polyurethane varnish) and water-based finishes. Shellac and lacquer work best because the dried film, although hard, is still softer than water-based finishes and varnish (which is almost always sold as polyurethane). This property makes it sand faster, so it’s easier. But in no way let this discourage you As you can see it’s much better than new. The massive sawdust defect is virtually eliminated. from applying these techniques to your varnish and You never need to worry about finishing in a “dust free” area again. water-based finishes. It works fine with them, too.

Sanding the First, or Sealer Coat clogging it up. One common brand of such sand- You start finishing your finish after your first coat paper is 3M Tri-M-ite (available at ACE Hard- or sealer coat has been applied and has had time ware: acehardware.com) or Norton 3X (available to dry. Drying time will vary greatly depending on at Rockler: 800-279-4441 or rockler.com). the finish you’re using. Basically, it’s dry enough To sand, use moderate pressure to sand off the when it doesn’t “ball up” on the sandpaper. For this fuzzy-feeling “nibs,” or all the little imperfections first sanding, use what’s called a “self-lubricating” that make the first coat rough to the touch. In #320-grit sandpaper. It’s self lubricating because it smoothing this first coat, you are preparing a sur- has a special powder applied to it that helps prevent face for the application of the next coat. The objec- sanding dust from sticking in the abrasive grit and tive is to begin producing an ideal surface. Think of glass as a perfect surface. If you brushed or sprayed won’t dissolve in the liquid, and the paper itself a finish on glass, it would lay out and form a per- will hold up as well. fectly smooth film. Wetsanding works because the liquid you use In addition to sanding off the nibs, you also lubricates between the surface and the sandpaper want to begin “leveling” your first coat of finish. and, more importantly, flushes away the material This will include high spots that result from lap- that is being removed by the sanding process. ping brush strokes, or runs or sags on vertical sur- When wetsanding, I use a full sheet of sand- faces. If you finish open-grained woods such as oak, paper that has been folded twice. Some finishers ash, walnut or mahogany, leveling will also begin prefer to wetsand with a block that has a piece of knocking down the “peaks” of finish created by 1⁄4"-thick cork glued on the sole. Using a block can the “valleys” of the open grain. help make sure you sand flat continually and, some A word of caution is in order, particularly if might argue it helps prevent “cutting through.” But you’re working with a project that has any type of this can give the user a false sense of security (it feels color applied, such as a stain or dye. If you sand too less aggressive so you sand too aggressively). much, you will sand, or “cut,” through the film and The liquid I prefer for wetsanding is paint thin- likely sand away the applied color. Edges are espe- ner, which is also commonly labeled as “mineral cially vulnerable and require a delicate touch. spirits.” You can also use water that’s had a few Now that you have completed your first level drops of liquid dish detergent added. Paint thin- of surface preparation, dust off the work and apply ner works best because it’s more efficient at flush- more finish material. If you are brushing varnish, ing away the sanded finish residue. We all know polyurethane varnish or water-base, one coat is that water on wood and wood finishes has some probably enough. If you are brushing or spraying inherent problems, especially if the end grain isn’t shellac or lacquer, apply at least three more coats. completely sealed. Again, allow sufficient drying time between coats So is wetsanding a tedious, time-consuming and before the next sanding step. chore? Clearly, it adds a couple more steps to the fin- ish process, but if your goal is simply a nice, slicked- Wetsanding: A Brave New World up finish, it really doesn’t take all that much extra If wetsanding is new to you, you’ll be amazed at work. For example, the walnut sample board in the how efficient it is when applied to your finish. For photos is about 18" x 36" and it took me no more sandpaper, switch to #400-grit wet/dry sandpa- than 10 to 12 minutes to wetsand it each time. In per. This is a paper with a special adhesive that some respects, it may save you some time. If you’ve

Four Steps to a Super-fineF inish

Here’s a close-up of what the finish looks like after a first Sanding the first, or sealer coat with #360-grit dry-lube sandpaper is the first step in coat of lacquer on walnut, which is an open-grained wood. rubbing out, or finishing your finish. This sanding is the first step in preparing the -sur The finish will feel fuzzy and the grain will look hilly. The face for the next coat of finish and begins leveling the surface. Use a full sheet of sandpa- object is to remove these fuzzy nibs and level the finish so per folded twice under the flat of your hand (as shown at right). Then add another coat that the next coat of finish will lay flatter. of finish. At this stage, your finish will begin leveling, seriously reducing the open-grain look of a non-sanded finish. If you do decide to use steel wool in the final polishing of your project, here’s the right been led to believe the nutballs who insist you fin- way to use it. Unfold the pad ish in a “dust free” environment, forget it. Let me completely and then fold it over save you some time because it may take you less on itself once. Then use the flat of your hand to press the steel time to wetsand than create a “clean” room. You’ll wool against the wood. also benefit from not being concerned about goo- bers falling in your not-quite-dry finish. Now, depending on the type of finish and sheen It would be at this stage that you would continue you want, you can proceed with another round of working with various levels of rubbing and polish- applying clear finish and wetsanding a last time, or ing compounds if you wanted to create a high-pol- you can basically call your finish done, except for a ish finish. Frankly, it would take a pretty special final coat of wax. Of course, before you complete the project for me to go to that level of a finish. job with a coat of wax, clean all the messy sanding In fact, I’d even make a strong recommenda- slurry off the work. For this chore, use either paint tion that when you decide to wetsand a project, you thinner or VMP naphtha on a clean rag. might even skip wetsanding certain parts of the On tight-grained woods such as cherry, , project altogether. For example, it would be good birch or a like pine, you will have a to wetsand a tabletop but not the legs, or the top smooth, flat, closed-pore finish with a medium of a desk but not the sides. In other words, wetsand sheen. With open-grained woods such as walnut only the most prominent and visible features. Gen- or mahogany, the finish will be either an open or erally speaking, it would be very difficult to wet- semi-open pore finish. The distinction is simply a sand the details on turned or carved work. matter of the degree of that’s not filled If you forego wetsanding part of a project, it up and leveled off. may, however, be necessary to rub out the entire To achieve a fully filled finish on open-grained piece with #0000 steel wool or a synthetic steel wood that’s not been grain-filled, you’ll need to wool product like 3M’s Scotch Brite pads. This will proceed with another coat of finish and another impart a consistent level of sheen to the entire proj- wetsanding. Follow the procedure as before. By ect, even though only a portion was wetsanded. the end of this stage your finish should be com- You should also consider using only gloss fin- plete except for a coat of wax. ish on projects you intend to wetsand. Not only Should you want a higher level of sheen on your will the gloss finish material make the finish look project, wetsand one last time. However, this time clearer, but the final sheen will be derived from switch to #600-grit wet/dry sandpaper. the wetsanding or rubbing. PWM

Wetsanding will open many new worlds of better finishes for you. Use A final wetsanding with #600-grit wet/dry sandpaper will produce a #400-grit wet/dry sandpaper and a lubricating liquid such as paint thin- higher sheen if so desired. This sanding should go quickly because the ner or soapy water to allow the fine abrasive to work without becoming objective is only to eliminate the coarser sanding scratches from the previ- clogged (see middle photo). You can see the result above (left). ous sanding, not leveling the surface further. If you choose, you can take your finish to an even higher level of sheen by rubbing it out with polishing compounds and very fine steel wool. How- ever, I recommend this only for your most important projects. s t r a t e g i e s f o r Locating Lumber

Sometimes the hardest part of woodworking is finding the right wood. It could be right in your neighborhood, or just around the corner.

o matter who you are, unless you own a web site (woodfinder.com), to find suppliers. Some by Christopher , finding the best material for your lumberyards deliver even small loads, and others Nprojects is going to be a challenge. Even are worth the drive, so don’t discount the stores Schwarz professional cabinetmakers are constantly forag- that are out of town. ing for new sources for wood. The starting point is If you’re still not having luck finding basic Comments or questions? Contact to get familiar with the lumberyard lexicon. There such as red oak and poplar, call a local Chris at 513-531-2690 ext. 11407 are terms you need to know so you can get what you cabinetshop and nicely ask where you can find hard- or [email protected]. need. To help you, we’ve included at right a glos- woods locally. And don’t forget to look for lumber sary of the common terms you’ll hear. mills if you live near hardwood forests. Some of You might not be aware of all the lumberyards these mills sell direct to the public. that carry hardwoods in your area. Some are fam- ily operations that rely on word of mouth. Your Not Just in Stores first step should be to check the Yellow Pages (look It might seem nuts to buy lumber through the mail, under “lumber, retail”) and visit the WoodFinder especially when you consider that you’re buying it sight-unseen and have to pay for shipping. But many of the big mail-order lumber suppliers actually are competitive in price, and the wood is quality. Another great way to find wood is to join your local woodworking club. Almost every club seems to have a resident wood scrounger who can point you to places off the beaten path. Some clubs even organize purchases of lumber for its members. Don’t know if there’s a club in your area? Go to betterwoodworking.com/woodworking_clubs. htm to find one near you. We highly recommend joining a club.

Mobile Mills Whenever Mother Nature is roused, the downed trees in your neighborhood are a potential gold mine of wide, clear stock. It’s just a matter of first moving the “bole” – the straight part of the trunk below the branches that yields clear and stable wood and then finding someone to mill the logs into suitable thicknesses before drying. Luckily, this is BYOB: Bring your own bole. All over the country, independent sawyers such as Ed Motz can pretty easy. Wood-Mizer Products Inc., which man- mill the logs you find into rough slabs. Moving it and drying it usually is up to you. ufactures portable band-saw mills, maintains a list of sawyers who perform custom-cutting. Contact ularly in the classified ads of the daily newspaper Lumber Wood-Mizer at 800-553-0182 or woodmizer.com. and local free shopping papers. is Measured In addition to Wood-Mizer owners, there are prob- And while you’re poring over the classifieds, in Quarters ably other sawyers in your area who will do the job. keep an eye out for auctions at farms and cabinet For new woodworkers, one of the Check with your local woodworking club. shops. When these places go under, there can be most confusing aspects of buying You will have to learn how to properly sticker good deals on wood (and machines). Bear in mind lumber is figuring out the terminol- your green wood for seasoning. It’s not rocket sci- that haunting auctions is both time-consuming ogy for thicknesses. Rough lum- ence, but there are some rules. For the basics, check and addictive. ber (which has not been surfaced) out the “Select Articles” area of our web site. Some people buy lumber through eBay.com, is sold in “quarters.” Each quarter an online auction web site. Shipping can be a real represents 1⁄4" of thickness in its Get the Word Out killer ($1 a pound), so tread cautiously and do the rough state. So four-quarter lum- There are farmers out there with barns full of lum- math before you buy from online auctions. ber (written as 4/4) is 1" thick in its 1 ber. And there are garages stacked high with pre- Finally, for the true bottom-feeder, there’s always rough state; 5/4 is 1 ⁄4" and so on. mium wood left behind by deceased woodworkers. the waste stream. Find out if there’s a pallet fac- When the lumber is surfaced by the mill it loses thickness. That’s why But how do you get your hands on it? tory, furniture manufacturer, veneer mill or con- 4/4 lumber is 3⁄4" thick when it’s Basically, it’s a matter of putting the word out struction site in your area. Their waste might be surfaced. Here’s a chart that you among your friends, relatives and co-workers that perfect for your woodworking. can use as a quick reference: you’re a woodworker and on the prowl for wood. We’ve cut up pallets made from mahogany, If you Rough finished Tell enough people, and you’ll eventually hear from ash and other desirable species. In fact, most of ask for thickness thickness 3 the friend of a friend who wants to dispose of some the projects in “Building the Perfect Tool Chest” 4/4 1" ⁄4" 1⁄ boards. Sometimes you get lucky. (Popular Woodworking Books) were built in our 5/4 1 4" 1" 6/4 11⁄2" 11⁄4" shop using wood discarded from pallets. A cabinet 8/4 2" 13⁄4" ClassifiedA ds, Auctions & Offcuts shop that built a lot of face frames once sold us 10/4 21⁄2" 21⁄4" There are a few somewhat surprising ways to find their falloff, which was the perfect size for chair 12/4 3" 23⁄4" wood. Believe it or not, wood shows up pretty reg- spindles. All you have to do is ask. PWM Source: Paxton, The Wood Source

The Language of Lumber

A G moisture content: The percentage of a S air-dried lumber: Wood that has been green lumber: Wood that has been board’s weight that is water. SLR1E: “straight-line ripped one dried from its freshly cut state by stacking freshly cut from the tree, typically with a edge.” it (usually outside) with stickers between. moisture content of 60 percent or higher. P S2S: Planed on two faces; the edges grades: pitch: A resinous, gummy substance are rough. B Select & Better: Usually highest grade typically found between the growth rings S2SR1E: Planed on two faces with one board foot: A piece of wood that is 1" available, a combination of NHLA grades of . edge straight-line ripped. thick x 12" wide x 12" long in the rough – “Selects” and FAS 80 percent to 100 per- plain (flat) sawn: A method of milling or its cubic equivalent. S4S: Planed to a smooth finish on all cent clear on the good face. a log that results in the growth rings in- four long edges of a board. tersecting the face of the board at an an- #1 Common: More knots and defects, sapwood: The lighter colored wood C each board is about two thirds clear, gle less than 45°. between the heartwood and bark – economical for small projects. case hardened: Improperly dried lum- weaker than the heartwood, typically. ber that is under tension; tends to bow or Q shorts: High-quality lumber that is less warp when cut. H quartersawn: A method of cutting a than 6' long. cupped: A board with edges higher heartwood: The part of the tree log at the mill that results in the growth than its middle. between the pith (the very center) and rings intersecting the face of the board straight-line rip: A perfectly straight the sapwood (the whitish outer layer). between 60° and 90°. Quartersawing edge produced by sawing. D honeycomb: A separation of the wood wastes more wood and there is more dimensional lumber: Lumber that is fibers inside the board during drying – effort involved. But quartersawn wood W surfaced on all four sides (S4S) to specific it might not be evident from the face of is more stable. wane: The presence of bark on the thicknesses and widths: 1 x 4s, 2 x 8s, the board. edge or corner of a piece of wood. etc. Note that with this lumber the fin- R warp: A general term for a distortion ished thickness and width are less than K random widths & lengths: While soft- in a board where it twists or curves out the stated size. For example, a 1 x 4 typi- kiln-dried lumber: Heat and forced air woods and cabinet woods such as red of shape. 3 1 cally will measure ⁄4" x 3 ⁄4". have been used to reduce the moisture oak and poplar can be found as dimen- worm holes: A void in the wood content of the wood. sional lumber, many hardwoods can- caused by burrowing insects (killed dur- E not. These hardwoods are cut in different ing kiln-drying). Not always considered end check: Separation of the wood L widths and lengths to get the best yield a defect. lineal feet: A measurement of wood fibers at the end of a board, almost and grade. WHND: Worm holes no defect. that’s 12" long, regardless of the board’s always a result of drying. rift sawn: A method of cutting a log that width or thickness – usually used to refer to mouldings. results in the growth rings intersecting F the face of the board at an angle between flitch: When a log is sawn into veneer M 30° and 60°. More stable than plain-sawn and the sheets are stacked in the same mineral streak: A typically green wood; less stable than quartersawn. Thanks to Paxton, The Wood Source and order as they came off the log. Good for or brown discoloration, which can be rough: A board as it comes from the L.L. Johnson Lumber for assistance with bookmatching. caused by an injury to the tree. sawmill; not surfaced or planed. this glossary. T h e W o r s t Tricks of the Trade

Not every workshop hint is worth trying (or publishing).

ears ago, the syndicated columnist Cecil that take a bad idea and make it worse. One trick- Adams – author of the “Straight Dope” col- ster suggested screwing the spaghetti jars’ lids to the Yumn – submitted a beauty tip to one of the shop ceiling to keep the jars overhead. That way you advice columnists, it was “Dear Abby” I think. could mine this unused storage space between joists He recommended using a mix of lard and sugar by populating it with jars. Of course, one wrong as a facial cream. Abby printed the tip, and added move with a long board and you’ll be showered that she’d tried it and quite liked it. with glass and whatever was in those jars. Sugar and lard doesn’t actually make a good Other tired or poorly conceived storage ideas: facial cream. However, we know how Abby feels. Use film containers to store small parts. Keep your Sometimes we open the mail submitted to our sandpaper in a file-o-fax folder or box for floppy “Tricks of the Trade” column and wonder if read- discs (not bad ideas, just ones I cannot bear to ers are pulling our leg. Some of the suggested tips read anymore), putting your glue in mustard bot- are so hackneyed, common or dangerous we think tles (I’m even more tired of reading this one), store that someone out there (Cecil, is that you?) must anything in coffee cans. My dad was snookered by Screwing lids of spaghetti jars to your shop ceiling allows you be pulling one over on us. this one and we could never find anything in his to squeeze more storage space Here then, with some help from the discussion shop (but perhaps that was the idea). from between rafters. But ... forum WoodCentral (woodcentral.com) are some • The Tape Trick: Wrap masking tape around a of our favorite “Worst Tricks of the Trade.” as a depth gauge. It’s a bad idea. Tape moves • The Problem with Pegboard: Pegboard is (in easily; use a block of wood instead. my opinion) mostly worthless for tool storage. So • Better Woodworking Through Chemistry: woodworkers have come up with other uses for the Believe us when we say you shouldn’t use a cola product. Some use pegboard as a template for drill- drink as a rust remover. ing holes for shelf pins. The problem? It’s too thin • Seemed Like a Good Idea: Don’t cut Styro- to keep the bit straight for accurate work. foam on your band saw. The waste gets charged Other people try to make pegboard useful by with static electricity and it’s impossible to clean painting the outline of their tools on the pegboard up. A knife works just as well. to keep track of them. This is a bad idea for the • Get a Compass: Woodworkers seem loathe home shop. Pegboard’s lone strength is it allows you to buy a compass or trammels, so there are endless to rearrange your tools. Still others use hot-melt ideas for drawing circles and arcs using a nail, string glue to secure the hooks in your pegboard. Again, and pencil. Or margarine tubs, coins, coffee cans or this defeats pegboard’s only benefit. CDs. If it’s round, woodworkers will trace it. • Silly Storage Solutions: Woodworkers have a • The Trick we Love to Hate: Believe me reputation for cheapness, so there are many schemes when I say that this one was actually submitted to use household containers to store stuff. to us: Use a coffee cup to hold your pencils. Yup. IllustrationChurchillLen by Glass containers, such as baby-food and spa- When we print that one, you’ll know that we are ... when the glass jar is struck with a stray board, the wood- ghetti jars, are favorites for storing finishes and thoroughly out of ideas. PWM worker is showered with glass screws. While this is inadvisable because of the — Christopher Schwarz and the contents of the jar. potential for breaking the glass, we’ve even seen tips